2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Osterhues
A locational surname referring to one from a place called Osterhues.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Osterhues. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osterhues 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Osterhues in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osterhues, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osterhues
The surname OSTERHUES is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the northwestern regions of present-day Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia.
The name OSTERHUES is a combination of two German words: "Oster," meaning "Easter," and "Hues," which is an old German term for a small farmstead or homestead. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a family or individuals residing on a farmstead near a location significant during Easter celebrations or rituals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OSTERHUES can be found in the Westphalian Regesta, a collection of historical documents from the Prussian province of Westphalia, dating back to the 14th century. It mentions an individual named Hinrich Osterhues, who was a landowner in the town of Beckum in the year 1372.
Another historical reference to the name OSTERHUES comes from the Münster Urbaren, a series of cadastral records from the 15th century, which document the names of landholders and their properties in the Bishopric of Münster. These records list several individuals with the surname OSTERHUES, indicating their presence in the region during that time.
One notable bearer of the name OSTERHUES was Johann Osterhues (1499-1572), a German Catholic theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Catholic Reformation in the Bishopric of Münster. He advocated for reforms within the Catholic Church and worked to promote education and moral values among the clergy and laity.
Another individual of note was Gottfried Osterhues (1683-1743), a German architect and builder who was influential in the construction of several notable churches and buildings in the Westphalian region during the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, Heinrich Osterhues (1817-1892) was a prominent German industrialist who owned and operated a successful textile manufacturing company in the city of Bielefeld. He played a significant role in the economic development of the region during the Industrial Revolution.
Additionally, the surname OSTERHUES has been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Osterhues-Ebstorf, a village in the district of Uelzen in Lower Saxony, and Osterhues-Liedern, a municipality in the district of Holzminden, also in Lower Saxony. These place names likely derived from families or individuals bearing the surname OSTERHUES who resided in or were associated with those locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osterhues
Among Census respondents with the surname Osterhues, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Osterhues 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 Osterhues surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 112
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osterhues
Osterhues 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+12 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,707 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,617 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 2,707 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,617 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 Osterhues 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 | #141,140 | #145,757 | -3.3% |
| Count | 118 | 115 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osterhues bearers went from 118 to 115 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 4,617 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #145,757.
FAQ
Osterhues surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osterhues?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Osterhues. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Osterhues?
Osterhues ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Osterhues. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Osterhues.
Has Osterhues become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osterhues went from 118 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Osterhues?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osterhues, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Osterhues in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osterhues appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Osterhues (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 Osterhues mean?
A locational surname referring to one from a place called Osterhues. 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 Osterhues (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 Americans have the surname Osterhues?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.