2000
#102,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Osvold
A habitational surname referring to someone from a place name derived from the Old Norse 'oss' meaning ridge and 'vollr' meaning field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 226 Americans carry the last name Osvold. That puts it at #98,501 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,516,612 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osvold 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
226
1 in 1,516,612
Census rank
#98,501
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
197
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 197 bearers of the surname Osvold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 98501st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osvold
The surname OSVOLD is of Scandinavian origin, tracing its roots back to Norway and the Viking era. It is believed to have originated from the Old Norse name Ásvaldur, which was a compound name composed of the elements "ás" meaning "god" and "valdr" meaning "ruler" or "master".
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as Asuualdr or Asualdr in various Old Norse manuscripts and records from the 9th to 11th centuries. As the name spread across Scandinavia and eventually to other parts of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Osvald, Oswald, and eventually Osvold.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Landnámabók, an Icelandic manuscript from the late 12th century, which mentions an Ásvaldur among the early Norse settlers in Iceland. Another notable historical figure bearing the name was Ásvaldur Guðbrandsson (c. 1050-1130), a chieftain and lawspeaker in Norway.
In England, the name Oswald was popularized by Saint Oswald, the King of Northumbria, who reigned from 634 to 642 AD. He played a significant role in the spread of Christianity in the region and was later venerated as a saint. The town of Oswaldtwistle in Lancashire is believed to be named after him.
Among other notable historical figures with the surname Osvold, one can mention:
1. Erik Osvold (c. 1135-1202), a Norwegian nobleman and chieftain who served as the Earl of Orkney.
2. Ingrid Osvold (c. 1220-1290), a Swedish noblewoman and landowner from the island of Gotland.
3. Bjørn Osvold (c. 1340-1415), a Danish seafarer and explorer, known for his voyages to the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
4. Ingrid Osvold (c. 1470-1535), a Norwegian woman who is believed to have been one of the first female landowners in the Trondheim region.
5. Jens Osvold (1720-1786), a Danish-Norwegian merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of trade between Norway and Denmark.
While the surname Osvold is relatively rare today, it continues to be found in various Scandinavian countries, as well as among descendants of Scandinavian immigrants in other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osvold
Among Census respondents with the surname Osvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Osvold 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 Osvold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 182
- Two or more races4.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osvold
Osvold 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
#96,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
+25 bearers (+15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 5,374 places
2020
#98,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 197
+9 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 1,702 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,173 | 163 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #96,799 | 188 | 0.06 | +25 bearers (+15.3%) | Up 5,374 places |
| 2020 | #98,501 | 197 | 0.07 | +9 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 1,702 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 Osvold 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 | #96,799 | #98,501 | -1.8% |
| Count | 188 | 197 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osvold bearers went from 188 to 197 (+4.8% change). The surname moved down 1,702 positions in the national ranking, going from #96,799 to #98,501.
FAQ
Osvold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osvold?
Name Census estimates that about 226 living Americans carry the surname Osvold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,516,612 residents.
How common is Osvold?
Osvold ranks #98,501 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 197 people with the surname Osvold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (226), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Osvold.
Has Osvold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osvold went from 188 recorded bearers to 197. That is an increase of 9 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #96,799 to #98,501.
What does the Census say about the background of Osvold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osvold, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Osvold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osvold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Osvold (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 Osvold mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from a place name derived from the Old Norse 'oss' meaning ridge and 'vollr' meaning field. 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 Osvold (0.07 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 common is the surname Osvold?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Osvold on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.