2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ostovich
A surname derived from a place name in Russia or Ukraine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Ostovich. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ostovich 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.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Ostovich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ostovich
The surname Ostovich originated in Croatia, dating back to the late 15th or early 16th century. It derived from the Slavic root "ost," meaning "sharp" or "pointed," possibly referring to a location with a sharp physical feature or a family occupation related to spearmaking or metalwork.
Early records of the name appeared in Croatian church registers and official documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in various spellings, such as Ostovych, Ostowich, and Ostowicz. These variations reflect regional dialects and scribal inconsistencies common in historical records.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was Ivan Ostovich, a metalsmith from the Croatian town of Knin, born around 1520. His work was mentioned in local guild records from the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the Ostovich family established roots in the Dalmatian region of Croatia, particularly in the coastal towns of Split and Dubrovnik. Notable members included Marko Ostovich (1632-1701), a merchant and ship owner from Split, and Petar Ostovich (1654-1728), a prominent lawyer and diplomat from Dubrovnik.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name spread to other parts of Europe as members of the Ostovich family migrated for economic and political reasons. Jakov Ostovich (1785-1867), a Croatian sailor, settled in Venice, Italy, and established a successful maritime trading business.
In the late 19th century, Stjepan Ostovich (1862-1936), a Croatian engineer, played a significant role in the construction of the Suez Canal and later worked on railway projects in Egypt and Sudan.
While the Ostovich surname is primarily associated with Croatia, it has also been found in other Slavic countries, such as Serbia and Bosnia, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ostovich
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ostovich 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 Ostovich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 8
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ostovich
Ostovich 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,148 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-30 bearers (-21.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,351 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 8,148 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-21.3%) | Down 26,351 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 Ostovich 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 | #122,314 | #148,665 | -21.5% |
| Count | 141 | 111 | -21.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ostovich bearers went from 141 to 111 (-21.3% change). The surname moved down 26,351 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #148,665.
FAQ
Ostovich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ostovich?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Ostovich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Ostovich?
Ostovich ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Ostovich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ostovich.
Has Ostovich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ostovich went from 141 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 30 (-21.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Ostovich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.2%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Ostovich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ostovich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (7.2%), Black (1.8%). 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 Ostovich (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 Ostovich mean?
A surname derived from a place name in Russia or Ukraine. 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 Ostovich (0.04 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 are called Ostovich?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Ostovich? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.