Find out how popular the last name Ostenson is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ostenson.

Ostenson, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ostenson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ostenson in America

Ostenson is the 49268th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ostenson surname appeared 427 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ostenson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ostenson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ostenson

The surname Ostenson originated in the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden during the medieval period. It is a patronymic name, derived from the Old Norse personal name Ǫsten, a diminutive form of Ǫstr, combined with the suffix -son, meaning "son of Ǫsten."

The name Ǫsten itself is believed to have originated from the Old Norse word "austr," meaning "east." It was a common practice in Scandinavia to name children after geographical features or directions, reflecting the Viking heritage and seafaring traditions of the region.

One of the earliest known references to the name Ostenson can be found in the Norwegian census records from the late 16th century. The name was particularly prevalent in the coastal regions of western Norway, where Viking settlements and maritime activities were concentrated.

In Sweden, the earliest recorded instance of the name Ostenson dates back to the 17th century, appearing in the parish records of Skåne, a region with close ties to Denmark and a strong Scandinavian cultural influence.

Notable individuals with the surname Ostenson include Johan Ostenson, a Swedish naval officer who served in the Great Northern War (1700-1721) and is credited with the design of several innovative shipbuilding techniques. Another prominent figure was Brita Ostenson (1723-1798), a Swedish-Finnish farmer and landowner who played a significant role in the development of agricultural practices in the region.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ostenson can be traced back to Anders Ostenson, a Norwegian immigrant who arrived in Wisconsin in the mid-19th century and established a successful farming community. His descendants continued to use the surname, contributing to its spread throughout the Midwestern states.

Other notable individuals with the surname Ostenson include Sigrid Ostenson (1876-1948), a Norwegian-American author and educator who wrote extensively about Scandinavian culture and folklore, and Olav Ostenson (1901-1985), a Swedish-American engineer who made significant contributions to the development of aerospace technology during the early years of the space program.

While the exact origins of the surname Ostenson can be traced back to the medieval Scandinavian region, its presence has since spread across various parts of the world through immigration and cultural exchange, becoming a part of the rich tapestry of global surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ostenson

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ostenson.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ostenson was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ostenson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ostenson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ostenson, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!