2000
#1,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,461
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.84
Uncommon Last name
Ogden
From a place name meaning "oak valley" in Old English, referring to someone who lived in such a valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,693 Americans carry the last name Ogden. That puts it at #1,950 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,564 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ogden 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ogden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,564
Census rank
#1,950
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,045 bearers of the surname Ogden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1950th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogden, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ogden
The surname Ogden has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "og" and "denu," meaning "ridge" and "valley," respectively, suggesting that it may have referred to a person living near a ridge or valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Oggedene." This entry refers to a place name in Lancashire, England, which later evolved into the modern-day town of Ogden.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Oggedene," "Oggeden," and "Ogden." These variations likely resulted from different regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Ogden was Roger de Ogden, who lived in the late 13th century and held land in Ogden, Lancashire. Another notable figure was John Ogden, born around 1609 in England, who later became one of the founders of the town of Fairfield, Connecticut, in the American colonies.
Throughout history, there have been several prominent individuals bearing the Ogden surname. One such person was Samuel Ogden (1718-1778), a colonial leader and judge in New Jersey, who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. Another was David Ogden (1707-1800), a lawyer and politician who served as the first Attorney General of New Jersey.
In the literary world, John Ogden (1785-1854) was a British poet and essayist known for his works on religious and social topics. Closer to our modern times, Robert Ogden (1792-1865) was a prominent English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Ogden Trust, which supported education and social welfare initiatives.
The surname Ogden has also been associated with notable places, such as Ogden, Utah, a city named after Hudson Ogden, an early settler in the region. Similarly, the Ogden River in Utah bears the same name, reflecting the influence of the Ogden family in the area.
While the surname Ogden has evolved over centuries and spread across different regions, its roots can be traced back to the valleys and ridges of England, where it originated as a descriptive name for individuals living in those geographic locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ogden
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogden, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ogden 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 Ogden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 15,822
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 680
- Black or African American3.7% · 667
- Two or more races3.4% · 611
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 121
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ogden
Ogden 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
#1,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,860
+399 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 6.39
Rank movement Down 124 places
2020
#1,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,045
-815 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 6.04
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,782 | 18,461 | 6.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,906 | 18,860 | 6.39 | +399 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 124 places |
| 2020 | #1,950 | 18,045 | 6.04 | -815 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 44 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 Ogden 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 | #1,906 | #1,950 | -2.3% |
| Count | 18,860 | 18,045 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.39 | 6.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ogden bearers went from 18,860 to 18,045 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,906 to #1,950.
FAQ
Ogden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ogden?
Name Census estimates that about 20,693 living Americans carry the surname Ogden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,564 residents.
How common is Ogden?
Ogden ranks #1,950 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,045 people with the surname Ogden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,693), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Ogden.
Has Ogden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ogden went from 18,860 recorded bearers to 18,045. That is a decrease of 815 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,906 to #1,950.
What does the Census say about the background of Ogden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogden, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (3.7%). 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 Ogden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (15,822 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ogden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Black (3.7%). 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 Ogden (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 Ogden mean?
From a place name meaning "oak valley" in Old English, referring to someone who lived in such a valley. 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 Ogden (6.04 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 Ogden?
Find out how many people are called Ogden on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.