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

Ostertag, 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 Ostertag surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ostertag in America

Ostertag is the 25503rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ostertag surname appeared 969 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 Ostertag.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ostertag 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 Ostertag

The surname Ostertag originates from Germany and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German words "Ostere" meaning "Easter" and "tag" meaning "day," likely referring to a person born or named on Easter Sunday.

The earliest known record of the name Ostertag can be traced back to the 13th century in the town of Nuremberg, Bavaria. In a manuscript from 1287, a certain Heinrich Ostertag is mentioned as a landowner in the region. This suggests that the name was already well-established by that time among the local population.

In the 14th century, the Ostertag family appeared to have spread to other parts of southern Germany, with records showing individuals bearing the name in cities like Augsburg and Regensburg. One notable figure from this era was Johannes Ostertag, a merchant and member of the city council in Augsburg, who lived from around 1330 to 1395.

As the name continued to evolve, variations in spelling emerged, such as Ostertagg, Osterdag, and Ostertach. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes who recorded the name in official documents.

In the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation had a significant impact on the spread of the Ostertag name. During this time, many families fled religious persecution and sought refuge in other parts of Europe, carrying their surnames with them. One prominent figure from this period was Michael Ostertag, a Lutheran pastor and theologian who lived from 1510 to 1572. He was a vocal supporter of the Reformation and authored several religious texts.

By the 17th and 18th centuries, the Ostertag name had become well-established across various regions of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries like Switzerland and Austria. This period saw several notable individuals bearing the surname, including Johann Ostertag (1633-1705), a respected jurist and legal scholar in Saxony, and Johann Friedrich Ostertag (1738-1811), a German theologian and author from Württemberg.

As the centuries progressed, the Ostertag name continued to spread and evolve, with many individuals making significant contributions in various fields, such as science, literature, and the arts. One such figure was Fritz Ostertag (1878-1958), a German veterinarian and pioneer in the field of animal disease research. Another notable Ostertag was Gertrude Ostertag (1900-1988), a German artist and painter known for her expressionist works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ostertag

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

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

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