2000
#14,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Ostler
An occupational surname referring to a person who tends to horses at an inn or stable.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,555 Americans carry the last name Ostler. That puts it at #13,154 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,150 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ostler 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ostler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 134,150
Census rank
#13,154
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,228 bearers of the surname Ostler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13154th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ostler
The surname Ostler originated in England during the medieval period. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old English word "hosteler," which referred to a person who worked as an innkeeper or a keeper of a hostel or an inn.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Ostelarius." This Latin form was used to denote an innkeeper or someone responsible for the stables at an inn or a monastery.
As the name evolved, it took on various spellings such as Ostelere, Ostellere, and Osteler before settling into its modern form of Ostler. These variations reflect the regional dialects and the influence of Norman French on the English language during the Middle Ages.
Ostler was a common surname in parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire, where many inns and hostels were located along well-traveled routes.
One notable individual with the surname Ostler was William Ostler (c. 1460-1532), a merchant and alderman of Bristol, England. He served as the mayor of Bristol in 1495 and 1506 and was involved in the city's trade with continental Europe.
Another prominent figure was John Ostler (1564-1623), an English mathematician and astronomer. He was a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, and made contributions to the development of logarithms and the calculation of eclipses.
In the 17th century, Thomas Ostler (1628-1698) was a English Quaker minister and writer who traveled extensively throughout England and Wales, spreading the Quaker faith and publishing several works on religious topics.
During the 18th century, James Ostler (1715-1792) was a renowned English clockmaker from Colchester, Essex. His clocks were highly regarded for their craftsmanship and accuracy, and several examples of his work can be found in museum collections.
In the 19th century, William Ostler (1820-1896) was a Canadian physician and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and was instrumental in establishing the Toronto General Hospital and the Ontario Medical Council.
The surname Ostler has a rich history rooted in the medieval English hospitality industry and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ostler
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ostler 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 Ostler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 2,039
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 108
- Two or more races2.3% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ostler
Ostler 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
#14,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,128
+319 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 876 places
2020
#13,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,228
+100 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 965 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,995 | 1,809 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,119 | 2,128 | 0.72 | +319 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 876 places |
| 2020 | #13,154 | 2,228 | 0.75 | +100 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 965 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 Ostler 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 | #14,119 | #13,154 | 6.8% |
| Count | 2,128 | 2,228 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.75 | 3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ostler bearers went from 2,128 to 2,228 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 965 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,119 to #13,154.
FAQ
Ostler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ostler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,555 living Americans carry the surname Ostler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,150 residents.
How common is Ostler?
Ostler ranks #13,154 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,228 people with the surname Ostler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,555), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ostler.
Has Ostler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ostler went from 2,128 recorded bearers to 2,228. That is an increase of 100 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,119 to #13,154.
What does the Census say about the background of Ostler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ostler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (2,039 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ostler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ostler (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 Ostler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who tends to horses at an inn or stable. 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 Ostler (0.75 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 people have the last name Ostler?
Find out how common the surname Ostler is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.