2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ovenshire
An English surname referring to someone from a town or village containing ovens or bakeries.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Ovenshire. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ovenshire 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Ovenshire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ovenshire, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ovenshire
The surname OVENSHIRE has its origins in England during the late medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ofen" meaning oven, and "scir" meaning a district or shire. It likely referred to someone who lived near or worked with ovens in a specific area or county.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a certain William de Ofneschire is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century, primarily in the Lincolnshire region of eastern England.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the OVENSHIRE surname. However, there are several entries mentioning places with similar names, such as "Ofenun" in Gloucestershire and "Ofeton" in Staffordshire, which may have influenced the development of the surname.
During the 13th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of England, as evidenced by records from counties like Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire. For example, a certain John de Oveneshyre is listed in the Feet of Fines for Hertfordshire in 1272.
One of the earliest known bearers of the OVENSHIRE name was Richard de Ovenshire, who was born around 1320 in Lincolnshire. He served as a knight under Edward III during the Hundred Years' War with France.
Another notable individual was William Ovenshire, born in 1475 in Oxfordshire. He was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Oxford, and his name appears in various Guild records from the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name OVENSHIRE gained some prominence with John Ovenshire (1520-1585), a successful landowner and Member of Parliament for Huntingdonshire. He was also a staunch Protestant during the reign of Queen Mary I.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a certain Thomas Ovenshire (1610-1672) served as a captain in the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He fought in several key battles, including Marston Moor in 1644.
The 18th century saw the birth of Samuel Ovenshire (1732-1803), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Guildhall Library and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ovenshire
Among Census respondents with the surname Ovenshire, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ovenshire 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 Ovenshire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 9
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ovenshire
Ovenshire 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+7 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,479 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-15 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,612 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 2,479 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 14,612 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 Ovenshire 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 | #135,593 | #150,205 | -10.8% |
| Count | 124 | 109 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ovenshire bearers went from 124 to 109 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 14,612 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #150,205.
FAQ
Ovenshire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ovenshire?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Ovenshire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Ovenshire?
Ovenshire ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Ovenshire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Ovenshire.
Has Ovenshire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ovenshire went from 124 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Ovenshire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ovenshire, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Ovenshire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ovenshire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Ovenshire (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 Ovenshire mean?
An English surname referring to someone from a town or village containing ovens or bakeries. 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 Ovenshire (0.04 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 Ovenshire?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Ovenshire on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.