2000
#10,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,746
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Overcash
A topographic surname likely derived from a place where ash trees grew abundantly near a bank or ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,848 Americans carry the last name Overcash. That puts it at #12,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,349 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Overcash 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
2.8K
1 in 120,349
Census rank
#12,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,484 bearers of the surname Overcash in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Overcash, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Overcash
The surname Overcash has its origins in Germany and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "über" meaning "over" and "Kasse" meaning "cash register" or "money box". The name likely referred to a person who worked as a cashier or handled money in some capacity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Darmstadt, Germany, from the year 1573, where a certain Hans Overcash is mentioned as a resident. Another early reference is in the church records of Heidelberg, which mention a Johann Overcash who was born in 1602.
The name Overcash appears to have been quite rare in its early days, with only a handful of families bearing it in the German states. It wasn't until the 18th century that the name started to become more widespread, as some Overcash families migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas.
One notable early bearer of the name was Christoph Overcash, a German clockmaker born in 1712 in the town of Pforzheim. He is credited with inventing a innovative new mechanism for pendulum clocks, which earned him recognition in horological circles of the time.
Another historically significant figure was Jakob Overcash, born in 1789 in the village of Niederwiesen. He was a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars and fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. After the wars, he settled in the Alsace region of France.
As the name spread, it underwent some spelling variations, such as Overgasch, Oberkasse, and Overkash, but Overcash remained the most common form. In the 19th century, several Overcash families immigrated to the United States, settling in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina.
One of the earliest American Overcash families can be traced back to Johannes Overcash, who was born in 1816 in the Grand Duchy of Baden and arrived in Philadelphia in 1842. His grandson, William Overcash (1872-1947), became a successful businessman and philanthropist in North Carolina.
Another notable American with the surname was Reverend Daniel Overcash (1823-1901), a Lutheran minister who served congregations in Pennsylvania and Maryland. He was known for his powerful oratory skills and published several religious texts during his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Overcash
Among Census respondents with the surname Overcash, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Overcash 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 Overcash surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 2,357
- Two or more races2.3% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Overcash
Overcash 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
#11,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,641
-105 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 1,173 places
2020
#12,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,484
-157 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,683 | 2,746 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,856 | 2,641 | 0.90 | -105 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 1,173 places |
| 2020 | #12,005 | 2,484 | 0.83 | -157 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 149 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 Overcash 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 | #11,856 | #12,005 | -1.3% |
| Count | 2,641 | 2,484 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.83 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Overcash bearers went from 2,641 to 2,484 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,856 to #12,005.
FAQ
Overcash surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Overcash?
Name Census estimates that about 2,848 living Americans carry the surname Overcash. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,349 residents.
How common is Overcash?
Overcash ranks #12,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,484 people with the surname Overcash. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,848), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Overcash.
Has Overcash become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Overcash went from 2,641 recorded bearers to 2,484. That is a decrease of 157 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,856 to #12,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Overcash?
Among Census respondents with the surname Overcash, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Overcash in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (2,357 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Overcash appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Overcash (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 Overcash mean?
A topographic surname likely derived from a place where ash trees grew abundantly near a bank or ridge. 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 Overcash (0.83 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 Overcash?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Overcash at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.