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

Ostermeier, 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 Ostermeier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ostermeier in America

Ostermeier is the 50106th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ostermeier surname appeared 418 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 Ostermeier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ostermeier 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 Ostermeier

The surname Ostermeier originates from Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational name derived from the German word "Oster," meaning "east," and "meier," meaning "a steward or bailiff of a manor." This suggests that the surname was likely given to someone who held a position of authority or oversaw an estate located in an eastern region.

One of the earliest known records of the name Ostermeier can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the 11th century. It mentions an individual named Ostermeier who was a landowner in the region of Saxony.

In the 13th century, there are references to a prominent family named Ostermeier in the Duchy of Westphalia. They were respected nobles and owned several estates in the eastern part of the region.

During the 15th century, the name appears in various town records and tax rolls across different German states. For instance, in 1472, a merchant named Hans Ostermeier is documented as having traded goods in the city of Nuremberg.

One notable person with the surname Ostermeier was Johann Ostermeier (1490-1562), a renowned Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.

Another individual worth mentioning is Heinrich Ostermeier (1688-1761), a German architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the city of Weimar during the 18th century.

In the 19th century, the name Ostermeier was associated with a family of prominent academics and scholars from Bavaria. One member of this family was Friedrich Ostermeier (1810-1892), a renowned linguist and professor at the University of Munich.

Another notable figure was Anna Ostermeier (1845-1919), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded one of the first girls' schools in Berlin and played a crucial role in promoting education for women in Germany.

Finally, it is worth mentioning Karl Ostermeier (1888-1945), a German military officer who served in both World Wars. He rose to the rank of General and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his service during World War II.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ostermeier

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

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

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

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