2000
#11,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,452
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Owensby
Derived from the Welsh given name Owain, combined with the suffix "-by," denoting a farmstead or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,675 Americans carry the last name Owensby. That puts it at #12,638 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Owensby 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
2.7K
1 in 128,132
Census rank
#12,638
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,333 bearers of the surname Owensby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12638th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Owensby, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Owensby
The surname Owensby has its origins in the British Isles, specifically in England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "Owenes" and "by," meaning "Owen's village" or "Owen's settlement." This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name, referring to a locality where someone named Owen or a variation of that name resided.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Owensby can be traced back to the 13th century in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273. These ancient documents often mentioned people's names alongside their places of residence or origin, which could have given rise to the surname Owensby.
One notable historical figure associated with this surname was Sir John Owensby, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the 14th century. Records indicate that he was born in Owensby, a small village in the county of Lincolnshire, England, in 1325 and died in 1397.
Another individual of note was Richard Owensby, a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the 16th century. He was born in 1521 and played an influential role in the city's trade and governance until his death in 1589.
In the 17th century, the name Owensby appeared in various parish records and tax rolls, indicating its widespread use across different regions of England. One such example was William Owensby, a farmer from Oxfordshire, who was born in 1632 and lived until 1701.
During the 18th century, the surname Owensby was also found in parts of Scotland and Ireland, potentially due to migration and intermarriage between families from different parts of the British Isles. A notable bearer of the name was James Owensby, a Scottish philosopher and writer born in 1745 in Edinburgh. He authored several influential works on ethics and political theory before his death in 1819.
In the 19th century, the surname Owensby continued to be documented in various historical records across the United Kingdom. One prominent figure was Elizabeth Owensby, a renowned poet and novelist from Wales, born in 1825. Her literary works gained widespread recognition during her lifetime, and she is remembered as a significant figure in Welsh literature until her passing in 1892.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Owensby
Among Census respondents with the surname Owensby, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Owensby 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 Owensby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.8% · 1,769
- Black or African American15.6% · 363
- Two or more races4.8% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Owensby
Owensby 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
#12,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,420
-32 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 1,040 places
2020
#12,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,333
-87 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,712 | 2,452 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,752 | 2,420 | 0.82 | -32 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 1,040 places |
| 2020 | #12,638 | 2,333 | 0.78 | -87 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 114 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 Owensby 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 | #12,752 | #12,638 | 0.9% |
| Count | 2,420 | 2,333 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.78 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Owensby bearers went from 2,420 to 2,333 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,752 to #12,638.
FAQ
Owensby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Owensby?
Name Census estimates that about 2,675 living Americans carry the surname Owensby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,132 residents.
How common is Owensby?
Owensby ranks #12,638 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,333 people with the surname Owensby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,675), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Owensby.
Has Owensby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Owensby went from 2,420 recorded bearers to 2,333. That is a decrease of 87 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,752 to #12,638.
What does the Census say about the background of Owensby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Owensby, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Owensby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.8% (1,769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Owensby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.8%), Black (15.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Owensby (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 Owensby mean?
Derived from the Welsh given name Owain, combined with the suffix "-by," denoting a farmstead or settlement. 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 Owensby (0.78 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 people are called Owensby?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Owensby is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.