2000
#2,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.49
Uncommon Last name
Overstreet
Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived on or near the main road through a town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,097 Americans carry the last name Overstreet. That puts it at #3,068 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,170 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Overstreet 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
13K
1 in 26,170
Census rank
#3,068
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,421 bearers of the surname Overstreet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3068th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Overstreet, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Overstreet
The surname Overstreet originated in England during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "ofer" meaning "over" and "stræt" meaning "street" or "road." Originally, the name referred to someone who lived near or on the main street or road passing through a town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Overstreet appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John Overstrete is listed. The name also appears in various spellings such as Overstreet, Overstrete, and Overstreate in records from the 14th and 15th centuries in counties like Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Oxfordshire.
In the 16th century, the name Overstreet was found in the parish records of St. Botolph's in Aldgate, London. One notable figure was Robert Overstreet, a merchant and alderman of the city, who was born around 1520 and served as Sheriff of London in 1567.
During the 17th century, the name Overstreet spread to other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lancashire. In 1635, a Richard Overstreet was recorded in the parish registers of Wakefield, Yorkshire. Another individual of note was William Overstreet, a member of the Virginia Company, who was involved in the early colonization of Virginia in the early 1600s.
In the 18th century, the name Overstreet was well-established in various parts of England, with families bearing the name found in counties like Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. One notable figure from this period was John Overstreet, a wealthy landowner and magistrate from Gloucestershire, who lived from 1710 to 1792.
As the British Empire expanded, the Overstreet name also spread to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, several individuals with the surname Overstreet were recorded in Australia and New Zealand, likely as a result of emigration from Britain. One such individual was Robert Overstreet, who was born in 1820 in Gloucestershire and later settled in Victoria, Australia, where he became a successful farmer.
Throughout its history, the Overstreet surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including merchants, farmers, soldiers, and public servants. While not a particularly common name, it has a rich heritage and can be traced back to its origins in medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Overstreet
Among Census respondents with the surname Overstreet, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Overstreet 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 Overstreet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.8% · 8,542
- Black or African American16.8% · 1,914
- Two or more races4.6% · 525
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 339
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Overstreet
Overstreet 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
#2,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,342
+221 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 4.18
Rank movement Down 175 places
2020
#3,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,421
-921 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 3.82
Rank movement Down 161 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,732 | 12,121 | 4.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,907 | 12,342 | 4.18 | +221 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 175 places |
| 2020 | #3,068 | 11,421 | 3.82 | -921 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 161 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 Overstreet 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 | #2,907 | #3,068 | -5.5% |
| Count | 12,342 | 11,421 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.18 | 3.82 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Overstreet bearers went from 12,342 to 11,421 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 161 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,907 to #3,068.
FAQ
Overstreet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Overstreet?
Name Census estimates that about 13,097 living Americans carry the surname Overstreet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,170 residents.
How common is Overstreet?
Overstreet ranks #3,068 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,421 people with the surname Overstreet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,097), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Overstreet.
Has Overstreet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Overstreet went from 12,342 recorded bearers to 11,421. That is a decrease of 921 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,907 to #3,068.
What does the Census say about the background of Overstreet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Overstreet, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Overstreet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (8,542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Overstreet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.8%), Black (16.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Overstreet (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 Overstreet mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived on or near the main road through a town. 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 Overstreet (3.82 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 Overstreet?
You can see how common the surname Overstreet is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.