2000
#991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.88
Uncommon Last name
Osborn
Derived from a place name meaning "Osbeorn's town," referring to a settlement associated with someone bearing that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,662 Americans carry the last name Osborn. That puts it at #1,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osborn 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 Osborn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,611
Census rank
#1,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,099 bearers of the surname Osborn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osborn
The surname Osborn originated in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English personal name Osbeorn, which means "divine bear" or "bear revered by God." The name was initially used as a given name before becoming a hereditary surname.
The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Osbern and Osberne. These early spellings reflect the variations in spelling that were common before standardization occurred.
In the 13th century, the name began to appear in its modern form, Osborn, and variants such as Osborne and Osburn were also recorded. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and scribal errors.
The Osborn surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire in the medieval period. It is believed that some early bearers of the name may have taken their surname from place names like Osborn in Staffordshire or Osborn Parva in Nottinghamshire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Osborn was John Osborn, who was born around 1250 in Derbyshire. He is mentioned in local records from the late 13th century.
Another notable figure was Sir Peter Osborn (c. 1510-1592), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1583. He was a prominent figure in the city's commercial and political life during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, Francis Osborn (1592-1659) was a British writer and advisor to King Charles I. He authored several works on historical and political subjects, including "Advice to a Son" and "Traditional Memoirs on the Reign of King James I."
The Osborn family also had connections to the American colonies. Thomas Osborn (1632-1689) was an early settler in East Hampton, Long Island, and served as a magistrate and deputy to the General Court of Connecticut.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Osborn was Sherard Osborn (1822-1875), a British naval officer and explorer who conducted surveys and expeditions in the Arctic regions. He published several books about his experiences, including "Stray Leaves from an Arctic Journal" and "The Discovery of the North-West Passage."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osborn
Among Census respondents with the surname Osborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Osborn 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 Osborn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 27,255
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,247
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 1,182
- Black or African American2.9% · 902
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 266
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 247
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osborn
Osborn 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
#1,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,439
+395 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 11.00
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#1,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,099
-1,340 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 10.40
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #991 | 32,044 | 11.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,078 | 32,439 | 11.00 | +395 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #1,111 | 31,099 | 10.40 | -1,340 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 33 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 Osborn 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 | #1,078 | #1,111 | -3.1% |
| Count | 32,439 | 31,099 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 11.00 | 10.40 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osborn bearers went from 32,439 to 31,099 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,078 to #1,111.
FAQ
Osborn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osborn?
Name Census estimates that about 35,662 living Americans carry the surname Osborn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,611 residents.
How common is Osborn?
Osborn ranks #1,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,099 people with the surname Osborn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,662), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Osborn.
Has Osborn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osborn went from 32,439 recorded bearers to 31,099. That is a decrease of 1,340 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,078 to #1,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Osborn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Osborn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (27,255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osborn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Osborn (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 Osborn mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Osbeorn's town," referring to a settlement associated with someone bearing that name. 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 Osborn (10.40 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 Osborn?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Osborn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.