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

Osterhage, 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 Osterhage surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Osterhage in America

Osterhage is the 77264th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Osterhage surname appeared 248 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 Osterhage.

We can also compare 2010 data for Osterhage 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 Osterhage

The surname Osterhage has its origins in Germany, originating in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "oster" meaning "east" and "hage" meaning "hedge" or "enclosure." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near an eastern hedge or enclosure, possibly a landowner or farmer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Osterhage can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Hagen in Westphalia, Germany, dating back to the mid-16th century. These records mention several individuals with variations of the name, such as Osterhaege, Osterhaig, and Osterhaghen.

In the 17th century, the name Osterhage appears in various historical documents from the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia. For example, a Johann Osterhage is recorded as a landowner in the village of Lügde, near Detmold, in 1642.

As the name spread across Germany, it evolved into several regional variations, including Osterhagen, Osterhaage, and Osterhaegen. These spelling differences likely reflect the dialects and local pronunciations of different areas.

Notable individuals with the surname Osterhage include:

1. Heinrich Osterhage (1820-1892), a German-American artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
2. Theodor Osterhage (1856-1937), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Hannover.
3. Wilhelm Osterhage (1876-1946), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Supreme Court of Prussia.
4. Gertrud Osterhage (1887-1968), a German writer and novelist best known for her works exploring the lives of women in rural Germany.
5. Karl Osterhage (1901-1987), a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, who served as a member of the Bundestag (German parliament) from 1949 to 1965.

While the surname Osterhage has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to countries with significant German immigrant populations, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Osterhage

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

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 Osterhage 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 Osterhage 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 Osterhage was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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