2000
#14,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,904
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Oubre
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of waterskins or leather bottles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,220 Americans carry the last name Oubre. That puts it at #14,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,394 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oubre 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
2.2K
1 in 154,394
Census rank
#14,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,936 bearers of the surname Oubre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oubre, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oubre
The surname Oubre has its origins in France, specifically in the region of Normandy. The name dates back to the Middle Ages, around the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "ombre," which means "shade" or "shadow."
In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Ombrere" or "Ombraire," reflecting the linguistic evolution of the region. These variations were commonly found in medieval records and documents from Normandy.
One of the earliest known references to the name Oubre can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book includes entries for individuals bearing the name Ombrere, which was likely the spelling used at the time.
During the 12th century, a notable figure named Raoul Oubre is recorded in the chronicles of the Abbey of Bec in Normandy. He was a prominent landowner and benefactor of the abbey, contributing to its growth and influence in the region.
In the 14th century, a knight named Jean Oubre fought alongside the French army during the Hundred Years' War against England. His bravery and valor were celebrated in contemporary accounts, and he was awarded lands and titles for his service.
Another notable figure was Pierre Oubre, a scholar and philosopher who lived in the 16th century. He was renowned for his works on metaphysics and ethics, and his writings were widely studied in academic circles across Europe.
In the 17th century, a French explorer named Jacques Oubre is believed to have accompanied Samuel de Champlain on his expeditions to the New World. Oubre's accounts of their travels and encounters with indigenous peoples provided valuable insights into the early colonization of North America.
The surname Oubre has also been associated with several notable place names in Normandy, such as the village of Auberville-la-Renault, which was once known as "Ombreville" in ancient records. The name likely reflects the presence of shaded or forested areas in the region.
Throughout history, the Oubre surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobles, scholars, explorers, and artisans. While the spelling may have evolved over time, the name's connection to its Norman roots and the concept of "shade" or "shadow" has remained a consistent thread.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oubre
Among Census respondents with the surname Oubre, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Oubre 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 Oubre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.6% · 1,290
- Black or African American25.2% · 488
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 85
- Two or more races3.5% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oubre
Oubre 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
#14,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,019
+115 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 309 places
2020
#14,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,936
-83 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,404 | 1,904 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,713 | 2,019 | 0.68 | +115 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 309 places |
| 2020 | #14,724 | 1,936 | 0.65 | -83 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 11 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 Oubre 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 | #14,713 | #14,724 | -0.1% |
| Count | 2,019 | 1,936 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.65 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oubre bearers went from 2,019 to 1,936 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,713 to #14,724.
FAQ
Oubre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oubre?
Name Census estimates that about 2,220 living Americans carry the surname Oubre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,394 residents.
How common is Oubre?
Oubre ranks #14,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,936 people with the surname Oubre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,220), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Oubre.
Has Oubre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oubre went from 2,019 recorded bearers to 1,936. That is a decrease of 83 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,713 to #14,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Oubre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oubre, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.2%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Oubre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.6% (1,290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oubre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.6%), Black (25.2%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Oubre (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 Oubre mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of waterskins or leather bottles. 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 Oubre (0.65 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 Oubre?
If you just want to know how many people are called Oubre, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.