2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ostrega
A topographic surname derived from the German word for "east region".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Ostrega. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ostrega 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Ostrega in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostrega, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ostrega
The surname OSTREGA has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the region of what is now northern Portugal and Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
The name OSTREGA is thought to be derived from the Latin word "ostrea," meaning oyster. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who harvested or traded in oysters along the coastal regions of the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname OSTREGA can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical manuscript from the 13th century. This document mentions a nobleman named Afonso OSTREGA, who was likely a member of the lower nobility or minor gentry.
In the 14th century, the surname OSTREGA appears in several land records and legal documents from the region of Entre-Douro-e-Minho in northern Portugal. These documents reference individuals with the name OSTREGA as landowners or tenants in various villages and parishes.
One notable figure from history who bore the surname OSTREGA was João OSTREGA (c. 1420 - 1498), a Portuguese navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his famous voyage to India in 1497-1499. João OSTREGA is credited with being one of the first Europeans to set foot on the Indian subcontinent.
Another individual of note was Diego OSTREGA (c. 1530 - 1598), a Spanish soldier and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the province of Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina and Uruguay) in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the OSTREGA surname can be found in various church records and baptismal registers from the northern regions of Portugal and Galicia, indicating its continued presence in these areas.
One prominent figure from this period was Manuel OSTREGA (1632 - 1701), a Portuguese architect and military engineer who designed several fortifications and public works in the city of Lisbon and other parts of Portugal.
Another individual of note was María OSTREGA (c. 1650 - 1725), a Spanish painter and artist who was known for her religious works and portraits commissioned by the nobility and clergy in Galicia.
Throughout its history, the surname OSTREGA has maintained a strong presence in the regions of northern Portugal and Galicia, with some families also migrating to other parts of Spain and the Spanish colonies in the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ostrega
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostrega, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ostrega 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 Ostrega surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ostrega
Ostrega 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,320 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-20 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,848 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 4,320 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 15,848 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 Ostrega 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 | #140,157 | #156,005 | -11.3% |
| Count | 119 | 99 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ostrega bearers went from 119 to 99 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 15,848 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #156,005.
FAQ
Ostrega surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ostrega?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Ostrega. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Ostrega?
Ostrega ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Ostrega. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ostrega.
Has Ostrega become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ostrega went from 119 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Ostrega?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostrega, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Ostrega in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ostrega appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Ostrega (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 Ostrega mean?
A topographic surname derived from the German word for "east region". 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 Ostrega (0.03 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 Ostrega?
You can see how many people have the last name Ostrega on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.