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

Osterling, 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 Osterling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Osterling in America

Osterling is the 62045th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Osterling surname appeared 323 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 Osterling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Osterling 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 Osterling

The surname Osterling finds its origins in the German language. It is believed to have originated in the 13th century in the region known as Prussia, which is now part of modern-day Germany and Poland. The name is derived from the German word "Oster," which means "Easter," and the suffix "-ling," which denotes a person or thing associated with a particular place or concept.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Osterling name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 14th century. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region during that time period.

In the 16th century, the Osterling family was documented in the town of Königsberg, which was then part of the Duchy of Prussia. One notable member of the family from this era was Hans Osterling, a merchant and alderman who lived from 1520 to 1587.

During the 17th century, the Osterling name spread beyond Prussia and into other parts of Germany. In 1678, Johann Christoph Osterling, a Lutheran theologian and philosopher, was born in Saxony. He went on to become a professor at the University of Leipzig and published several works on theology and philosophy.

In the 18th century, the Osterling name appeared in various records across Germany, including church registers and census documents. One notable individual from this period was Carl Wilhelm Osterling, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1744 to 1820.

As the Osterling family continued to grow and spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, the name also underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Osterlingen and Österling. However, the core meaning and origin remained largely unchanged.

Other notable individuals with the surname Osterling include:

• Friedrich Osterling (1830-1899), a German painter and illustrator
• Gustav Osterling (1869-1946), a Swedish writer and translator
• Max Osterling (1886-1974), a German film director and screenwriter
• Erich Osterling (1892-1917), a German World War I fighter pilot and flying ace

While the Osterling name is predominantly found in Germany and the surrounding regions, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and diasporas over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Osterling

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Osterling, 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!