2000
#7,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Ousley
Derived from a place name meaning "Oswulf's clearing" in Old English, referring to a person who lived there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,401 Americans carry the last name Ousley. That puts it at #6,871 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,461 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ousley 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 Ousley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,461
Census rank
#6,871
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,710 bearers of the surname Ousley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6871st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ousley, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ousley
The surname Ousley has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ofa" and "leah," meaning "ridge" and "forest clearing" respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person living near a forest clearing on a ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Ofesleah." This historical record provides valuable insight into the distribution of the name during the Norman conquest of England.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Offeslegh, Offesley, and Owsley, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings during that era. These variations often corresponded to different regions or local dialects.
Notably, the Ousley surname has been associated with several prominent individuals throughout history. One such figure was John Ousley, a 16th-century English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, born around 1497 and dying in 1555.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Ousley, a 17th-century English politician and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1673 to 1677. He was born in 1631 and passed away in 1692.
In the realm of literature, William Ousley (1771-1847) was a notable English poet and clergyman, known for his contributions to religious poetry and hymns during the early 19th century.
The Ousley surname has also been associated with notable figures in the United States. One such individual was John Ousley (1821-1890), a prominent American politician and lawyer who served as a judge in Kentucky and later as a U.S. Representative from 1867 to 1869.
Another American figure with the Ousley surname was Roger Ousley (1918-2003), a renowned jazz musician and saxophonist who played with various big bands and orchestras throughout the 20th century.
While the surname Ousley has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns of individuals bearing this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ousley
Among Census respondents with the surname Ousley, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ousley 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 Ousley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.9% · 2,868
- Black or African American33.1% · 1,557
- Two or more races3.3% · 154
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ousley
Ousley 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
#7,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,751
+340 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 42 places
2020
#6,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,710
-41 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 177 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,006 | 4,411 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,048 | 4,751 | 1.61 | +340 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 42 places |
| 2020 | #6,871 | 4,710 | 1.58 | -41 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 177 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 Ousley 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 | #7,048 | #6,871 | 2.5% |
| Count | 4,751 | 4,710 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.58 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ousley bearers went from 4,751 to 4,710 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 177 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,048 to #6,871.
FAQ
Ousley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ousley?
Name Census estimates that about 5,401 living Americans carry the surname Ousley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,461 residents.
How common is Ousley?
Ousley ranks #6,871 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,710 people with the surname Ousley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ousley.
Has Ousley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ousley went from 4,751 recorded bearers to 4,710. That is a decrease of 41 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,048 to #6,871.
What does the Census say about the background of Ousley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ousley, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Ousley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.9% (2,868 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ousley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.9%), Black (33.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Ousley (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 Ousley mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Oswulf's clearing" in Old English, referring to a person who lived there. 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 Ousley (1.58 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 Ousley?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Ousley at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.