Find out how popular the last name Ovsepyan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ovsepyan.

Ovsepyan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ovsepyan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ovsepyan in America

Ovsepyan is the 71042nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ovsepyan surname appeared 275 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ovsepyan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ovsepyan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ovsepyan

The surname Ovsepyan originates from Armenia and dates back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Armenian personal name Hovsepp, which itself comes from the Biblical name Joseph. The earliest known spelling variations include Ovsepian, Ovsepants, and Ovsepants.

Ovsepyan is believed to have first appeared in written records in the 9th century, when an Armenian scholar named Hovhannes Ovsepants authored a treatise on astronomy. This work is currently housed in the Matenadaran repository of ancient manuscripts in Yerevan.

During the 12th century, a village called Ovsepavan existed in the Aragatsotn province of historical Armenia. This place name likely emerged from an early bearer of the Ovsepyan surname residing there. By the 14th century, the name had spread to other regions like Syunik and Vayots Dzor.

One of the most famous early Ovsepyans was Hayrapet Ovsepyan (1670-1733), an Armenian Catholic Archbishop who played a key role in establishing the Mekhitarist monastic order in Venice. Another notable figure was Khachatur Ovsepyan (1779-1857), a celebrated writer and grammarian from Tiflis (modern Tbilisi).

In the 19th century, the Ovsepyan name gained prominence through figures like Hovhannes Ovsepyan (1825-1903), a teacher and principal who founded one of the first Armenian schools in Tiflis. Mariam Ovsepyan (1856-1924) was an acclaimed operatic soprano who performed across Europe and Russia.

One of the most illustrious Ovsepyans was Hovhannes Ovsepyan (1865-1942), an Armenian revolutionary and statesman who served as defense minister of the First Republic of Armenia from 1918-1920 during the Armenian-Turkish war.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ovsepyan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ovsepyan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ovsepyan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ovsepyan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ovsepyan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ovsepyan, please contact us.

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