2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ousterhout
A variant of the Dutch surname "Oosterhout" referring to someone from the town of Oosterhout.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Ousterhout. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ousterhout 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Ousterhout in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ousterhout, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ousterhout
The surname Ousterhout has its origins in the Netherlands, tracing back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch words "oosterhout," which translate to "eastern wood" or "eastern forest." This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name, referring to someone who lived near or was associated with a wooded area located to the east.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dutch city of Leyden, where a family by the name of Ousterhout resided in the late 1500s. Historical records from this period often spell the name with variations such as "Oosterhout" or "Osterhout," reflecting the regional dialects of the time.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various Dutch colonial records, particularly those related to the settlement of New Netherland, which later became New York. One notable individual bearing this surname was Pieter Ousterhout, a Dutch settler who arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) in the 1660s.
As the Dutch influence spread across the American colonies, the Ousterhout name began to appear in other regions as well. In the 18th century, records show individuals with this surname residing in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, possibly descendants of the early Dutch settlers.
One prominent figure from this era was Johannes Ousterhout, a skilled carpenter and builder who worked on several notable projects in Philadelphia during the late 1700s. His craftsmanship can still be seen in some of the city's historic buildings.
In the 19th century, the Ousterhout name gained recognition with the birth of John Ousterhout in 1825 in New York. He went on to become a successful industrialist and inventor, best known for his contributions to the development of early steam engines and agricultural machinery.
Another notable figure was William Ousterhout, born in 1849 in Pennsylvania. He was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1887 to 1891.
As the centuries passed, the Ousterhout name continued to spread across the United States and other parts of the world, with individuals bearing this surname making contributions in various fields, including academia, business, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ousterhout
Among Census respondents with the surname Ousterhout, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ousterhout 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 Ousterhout surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 5
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ousterhout
Ousterhout 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+13 bearers (+12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,103 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-16 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,864 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.7%) | Up 4,103 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 11,864 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 Ousterhout 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 | #144,141 | #156,005 | -8.2% |
| Count | 115 | 99 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ousterhout bearers went from 115 to 99 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 11,864 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #156,005.
FAQ
Ousterhout surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ousterhout?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Ousterhout. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Ousterhout?
Ousterhout ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Ousterhout. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ousterhout.
Has Ousterhout become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ousterhout went from 115 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Ousterhout?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ousterhout, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Ousterhout in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ousterhout appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Ousterhout (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 Ousterhout mean?
A variant of the Dutch surname "Oosterhout" referring to someone from the town of Oosterhout. 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 Ousterhout (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Ousterhout?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.