2000
#37,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 564
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Ostrum
A toponymic surname referring to someone from a place called Ostrum.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 673 Americans carry the last name Ostrum. That puts it at #40,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 509,293 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ostrum 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
673
1 in 509,293
Census rank
#40,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
587
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 587 bearers of the surname Ostrum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostrum, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ostrum
The surname Ostrum has its origins in Northern Europe, specifically in the Nordic countries of Scandinavia. It is believed to have emerged during the Viking Age, between the 8th and 11th centuries AD. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "austr," which means "east" or "eastern," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have hailed from eastern regions or settlements.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ostrum can be found in the Icelandic sagas, which are a collection of historical and literary works that date back to the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas often mention individuals with the surname Ostrum, indicating that the name was well-established in the region during that time.
In the 15th century, a man named Björn Ostrum (c. 1420-1487) was a prominent figure in the Faroe Islands, where he served as a lawspeaker and played a significant role in the islands' governance. This early record provides evidence of the name's presence in the North Atlantic region.
As the name spread throughout Scandinavia and beyond, various spelling variations emerged, including Ostrom, Östrum, and Austrum. These variations often reflected local dialects and language adaptations.
In the 17th century, a Swedish military officer named Carl Ostrum (1616-1684) gained recognition for his service in the Thirty Years' War and later became a colonel in the Swedish army. His legacy serves as an example of the name's presence in Sweden during this era.
Another notable figure was the Danish historian and theologian Hans Ostrum (1701-1772), who made significant contributions to the study of church history and authored several influential works on the subject.
During the 19th century, the name Ostrum appeared in various parts of Europe, including Norway, where a man named Jens Ostrum (1823-1892) became a prominent businessman and landowner in the coastal town of Kristiansund.
While the surname Ostrum has its roots in Northern Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. Today, individuals bearing this name can be found in various countries, carrying on the legacy of a surname that dates back to the Viking Age and the rich history of the Nordic regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ostrum
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostrum, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ostrum 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 Ostrum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 533
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 12
- Two or more races1.9% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ostrum
Ostrum 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
#43,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 495
-69 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 6,384 places
2020
#40,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 587
+92 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 3,314 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,200 | 564 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,584 | 495 | 0.17 | -69 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 6,384 places |
| 2020 | #40,270 | 587 | 0.20 | +92 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 3,314 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 Ostrum 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 | #43,584 | #40,270 | 7.6% |
| Count | 495 | 587 | 18.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.20 | 15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ostrum bearers went from 495 to 587 (+18.6% change). The surname moved up 3,314 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,584 to #40,270.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ostrum
FAQ
Ostrum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ostrum?
Name Census estimates that about 673 living Americans carry the surname Ostrum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 509,293 residents.
How common is Ostrum?
Ostrum ranks #40,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 587 people with the surname Ostrum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (673), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Ostrum.
Has Ostrum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ostrum went from 495 recorded bearers to 587. That is an increase of 92 (+18.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #43,584 to #40,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Ostrum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostrum, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Ostrum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ostrum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Ostrum (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 Ostrum mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone from a place called Ostrum. 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 Ostrum (0.20 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 Ostrum?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.