2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ostensen
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the Old Norse word "austr" meaning east.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Ostensen. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ostensen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Ostensen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ostensen
The surname Ostensen is of Norwegian origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "Aust" meaning "east" and "enn" meaning "the one from," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name hailed from the eastern regions of Norway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ostensen name can be found in the Norwegian tax records of 1593, where a man named Olav Ostensen is listed as a resident of the Hedmark region. This region, located in the eastern part of Norway, lends further credence to the geographical significance of the name's origin.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure bearing the Ostensen surname was Hans Ostensen, a Norwegian nobleman and landowner born in 1624. He was known for his extensive holdings in the Østfold county, which borders Sweden, and his influence in local politics.
Another notable bearer of the Ostensen name was Ingrid Ostensen, a Norwegian artist and painter who lived from 1854 to 1935. She gained recognition for her captivating landscape paintings that captured the natural beauty of her homeland.
The Ostensen surname also found its way to the United States in the late 19th century through Norwegian immigration. One such immigrant was Ole Ostensen, born in 1871, who settled in Minnesota and became a successful farmer.
In the 20th century, Knut Ostensen, a Norwegian explorer and adventurer, made his mark by leading several expeditions to the Arctic regions between 1920 and 1945. His contributions to the field of Arctic exploration earned him widespread recognition.
While the Ostensen name may have evolved slightly in its spelling over the centuries, with variations like Østensen or Östensen appearing in some records, its connection to the eastern regions of Norway has remained a consistent thread throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ostensen
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ostensen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ostensen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ostensen
Ostensen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,791 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,867 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 12,791 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 2,867 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ostensen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #151,532 | #148,665 | 1.9% |
| Count | 108 | 111 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ostensen bearers went from 108 to 111 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 2,867 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #148,665.
FAQ
Ostensen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ostensen?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Ostensen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Ostensen?
Ostensen ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Ostensen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ostensen.
Has Ostensen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ostensen went from 108 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Ostensen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostensen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ostensen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ostensen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (7.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ostensen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ostensen mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name containing the Old Norse word "austr" meaning east. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ostensen (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Ostensen?
You can see how common the surname Ostensen is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.