2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ostroot
A habitational name referring to someone living near an easterly wood or grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Ostroot. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ostroot 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Ostroot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostroot, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ostroot
The surname OSTROOT is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the 15th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "ost" meaning "east" and "root" signifying a clearing or a forest. This suggests that the name likely referred to a settlement or a community situated in an easterly direction within a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded references to the OSTROOT name can be found in a 1487 document from the town of Nuremberg, which mentions a certain Johann Ostroot, a merchant and landowner. Another notable mention is in the Augsburg Stadtbuch (City Book) of 1529, where a Margaretha Ostroot is listed as a resident.
During the 16th century, the OSTROOT name appears to have spread across various parts of central and southern Germany, with records indicating families bearing this surname in cities like Erfurt, Leipzig, and Regensburg. One notable individual from this era was Hans Ostroot, a master woodcarver who lived in Bamberg between 1543 and 1612, and whose intricate works can still be admired in local churches and museums.
As the centuries progressed, the OSTROOT name continued to be found in various German regions, with some families also migrating to neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. In the 18th century, a branch of the Ostroot family settled in the town of Rosenheim in Bavaria, where they established a successful brewing business. Jakob Ostroot (1712-1785) was a prominent figure in this endeavor, and his descendants continued to operate the brewery for several generations.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the OSTROOT surname was Friedrich Ostroot (1801-1879), a renowned philosopher and academic who taught at the University of Leipzig. His published works on ethics and metaphysics garnered significant attention during his lifetime.
Moving into the 19th century, the Ostroot name gained recognition in the field of literature with the writer and poet Elise Ostroot (1835-1901), whose romantic novels and poetry collections were widely popular in Germany and Austria.
Throughout its history, the OSTROOT surname has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, and has also been carried by individuals who have made contributions in fields such as craftsmanship, business, academia, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ostroot
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostroot, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ostroot 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 Ostroot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Two or more races6.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ostroot
Ostroot 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-12 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,510 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,564 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 21,510 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 3,564 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 Ostroot 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 | #153,769 | #150,205 | 2.3% |
| Count | 106 | 109 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ostroot bearers went from 106 to 109 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 3,564 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #150,205.
FAQ
Ostroot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ostroot?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Ostroot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Ostroot?
Ostroot ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Ostroot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Ostroot.
Has Ostroot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ostroot went from 106 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Ostroot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostroot, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Ostroot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ostroot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Ostroot (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 Ostroot mean?
A habitational name referring to someone living near an easterly wood or grove. 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 Ostroot (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 have the surname Ostroot?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.