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

Ostwald, 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 Ostwald surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ostwald in America

Ostwald is the 43732nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ostwald surname appeared 493 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 Ostwald.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ostwald 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 Ostwald

The surname Ostwald originates from Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "ost" meaning east and "wald" meaning forest or woods, suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived near an easterly forest or woodland area.

One of the earliest recordings of the name Ostwald can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the German state of Saxony, dating back to the year 1191. The name appears in this collection as "Ostwaldus", referring to a landowner or nobleman in the region.

During the Middle Ages, the Ostwald name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg, where many Ostwald families were established as landowners, merchants, and craftsmen. In the 14th century, an Ostwald family was recorded as residing in the town of Chemnitz, which was then part of the Margraviate of Meissen.

One notable individual with the surname Ostwald was Wilhelm Ostwald, a German chemist who was born in 1853 and died in 1932. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909 for his work on catalysis and chemical equilibria. His contributions to the field of physical chemistry were significant, and he is considered a pioneer in the study of chemical reactions and their energy changes.

Another prominent figure with the Ostwald surname was Hans Ostwald, a German philosopher and sociologist who lived from 1873 to 1940. He is best known for his work on the philosophy of color and his contributions to the study of human perception and aesthetics.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name Ostwald was also associated with several notable artists and writers. One such individual was Hans Ostwald, a German painter and graphic artist born in 1873, who was known for his landscapes and portraits.

Additionally, there was a writer named Oswald Ostwald, born in 1890, who authored several novels and plays, including the popular work "Die Fürstin" (The Princess) published in 1924.

The Ostwald name has also been linked to various places and geographic features throughout Germany. For example, there is a village called Ostwald located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and a mountain peak in the Bavarian Alps named the Ostwaldfirst.

Overall, the surname Ostwald has a rich history and is deeply rooted in German culture and heritage, with its origins dating back to the 12th century and its prevalence in various regions of the country throughout the Middle Ages and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ostwald

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

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

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

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