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

Ostmann, 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 Ostmann surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ostmann in America

Ostmann is the 79338th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ostmann surname appeared 240 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 Ostmann.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ostmann 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 Ostmann

The surname Ostmann is of German origin, deriving from the Old High German words "ost" meaning "east" and "mann" meaning "man". It likely originated in the medieval period, referring to someone who had migrated from the eastern regions of Germany or the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 13th century Nuremberg Chronicles, which mentions an Ostmann family residing in the city of Nuremberg. This suggests that the name may have originated in the Franconian region of modern-day Bavaria, Germany.

Another notable early reference is in the Liber Censuum, a 14th century document listing taxpayers in the city of Konstanz, where several individuals with the surname Ostmann are recorded. This indicates that the name had spread to the southwestern regions of Germany by that time.

In the 15th century, the Ostmann name appears in various records from the city of Cologne, suggesting a presence in the Rhineland area. One notable figure from this period is Johannes Ostmann, a merchant and city councilor in Cologne who lived from 1420 to 1492.

The 16th century saw the Ostmann name spread further throughout Germany and into neighboring regions. Hans Ostmann, a prominent theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg, lived from 1518 to 1587 and was a contemporary of Martin Luther.

In the 17th century, the Ostmann name can be found in records from the city of Hamburg, indicating a presence in northern Germany. One notable figure from this time is Peter Ostmann, a merchant and shipowner who lived from 1645 to 1712.

As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Ostman, Oestmann, and Östmann. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciations.

While the name Ostmann is predominantly German in origin, it has also been adopted by families in other European countries, particularly in areas with historical German influence or migration. However, the exact origins and earliest recorded instances of the name outside of Germany are less well documented.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ostmann

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

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

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

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