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

Ostermann, 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 Ostermann surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ostermann in America

Ostermann is the 25771st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ostermann surname appeared 956 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 Ostermann.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ostermann 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 Ostermann

The surname Ostermann is of German origin, emerging in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It likely originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas like Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Ostermann is a compound name, combining the German words "Ost" (meaning "east") and "Mann" (meaning "man"). This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who hailed from the eastern regions or had some association with the eastern parts of a particular area.

One of the earliest known records of the Ostermann name can be found in the Stadtbücher (city books) of Lübeck, a prominent Hanseatic city in northern Germany, dating back to the 15th century. These records document various individuals bearing the Ostermann surname, indicating its presence in the region during that time.

In the 16th century, the name appears in several historical documents, including church records and legal texts. For instance, Johannes Ostermann, a Lutheran pastor born in 1525 in Mecklenburg, is mentioned in several religious writings of the period.

As the name spread across Germany and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, such as Osterman, Ostermanns, and Ostermann. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic influences.

Notable individuals with the Ostermann surname include:

1. Heinrich Ostermann (1687-1747), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Brandenburg-Ansbach.

2. Friedrich Benjamin Ostermann (1759-1819), a German painter and engraver known for his portraiture and historical scenes.

3. Anna Ostermann (1811-1888), a German writer and journalist who advocated for women's rights and education in the 19th century.

4. Alexander Ostermann (1870-1942), a Russian military officer and diplomat who served as the Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire from 1909 to 1917.

5. Heino Ostermann (1908-1988), a German athlete who competed in the long jump and triple jump events at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

Over the centuries, the Ostermann name has been associated with various professions and fields, from the clergy and academia to the arts and military. Its rich history reflects the diverse paths taken by those who bore this surname across different regions and cultures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ostermann

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

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

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

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