2000
#2,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,332
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.31
Uncommon Last name
Oswald
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "divine power" or "God's power" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,914 Americans carry the last name Oswald. That puts it at #2,536 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,538 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oswald 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Oswald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,538
Census rank
#2,536
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,878 bearers of the surname Oswald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2536th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oswald, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oswald
The surname Oswald is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English personal name Ōsweald, which is composed of two elements: ōs meaning 'divine' or 'God', and weald meaning 'power' or 'ruler'. The name essentially translates to 'Divine Power' or 'Ruler by God'.
The name Oswald is closely associated with the historical figure of Saint Oswald, the King of Northumbria from 634 to 642 AD. He was renowned for his efforts in promoting Christianity and is credited with the establishment of several monasteries, including Lindisfarne. Saint Oswald's name appears in the Venerable Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, a seminal work written in the early 8th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Oswald can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as 'Oswald' and 'Oswold'. The name is mentioned in various counties across England, suggesting its widespread use during the Norman conquest.
The surname Oswald has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure is Thomas Oswald (c. 1556-1642), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed for his religious beliefs during the reign of King James I.
In the 18th century, Richard Oswald (1705-1784) was a British merchant and politician who played a pivotal role in the negotiations that led to the Peace of Paris in 1783, effectively ending the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Sir Peter Oswald (1892-1971), a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Governor of New South Wales, Australia, from 1957 to 1962.
The surname Oswald has also been associated with various place names, particularly in England. For instance, Oswald's Ash in Worcestershire is believed to derive its name from the Old English words 'Ōsweald' and 'æsc', referring to an ash tree associated with an individual named Oswald.
Throughout its history, the surname Oswald has undergone various spellings, including Oswald, Oswold, Oswell, and Oswall, reflecting the linguistic variations and regional influences across different parts of England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oswald
Among Census respondents with the surname Oswald, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Oswald 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 Oswald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 12,791
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 433
- Two or more races2.7% · 380
- Black or African American0.8% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oswald
Oswald 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
#2,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,322
-10 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 4.86
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#2,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,878
-444 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 4.64
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,313 | 14,332 | 5.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,530 | 14,322 | 4.86 | -10 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #2,536 | 13,878 | 4.64 | -444 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 6 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 Oswald 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 | #2,530 | #2,536 | -0.2% |
| Count | 14,322 | 13,878 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.86 | 4.64 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oswald bearers went from 14,322 to 13,878 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,530 to #2,536.
FAQ
Oswald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oswald?
Name Census estimates that about 15,914 living Americans carry the surname Oswald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,538 residents.
How common is Oswald?
Oswald ranks #2,536 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,878 people with the surname Oswald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,914), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Oswald.
Has Oswald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oswald went from 14,322 recorded bearers to 13,878. That is a decrease of 444 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,530 to #2,536.
What does the Census say about the background of Oswald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oswald, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Oswald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (12,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oswald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Oswald (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 Oswald mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "divine power" or "God's power" in Old English. 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 Oswald (4.64 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 Oswald?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.