2000
#457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,802
First available Census row
Per 100,000 24.39
Uncommon Last name
Osborne
Derived from a place name meaning "bear god's stream" or "divine bear's stream" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 73,503 Americans carry the last name Osborne. That puts it at #513 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,663 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osborne 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 Osborne with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
74K
1 in 4,663
Census rank
#513
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
64K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 64,098 bearers of the surname Osborne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 513th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osborne, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osborne
The surname Osborne is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "or" meaning "bank" or "shore" and "burne" meaning "stream" or "brook". It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a stream bank.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Osborne can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Osebern" and "Osbern". This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Osbern, Osborn, Osbourne, and Osburn. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation common at the time.
The Osborne family was particularly prominent in Derbyshire, where they held lands and estates. One notable figure was Sir Hewett Osborne (c. 1470-1555), who served as a member of Parliament and was a devoted supporter of King Henry VIII during the English Reformation.
In the 17th century, Sir Peter Osborne (1584-1653) was a significant figure in the English Civil War, serving as a Royalist commander and later as Lord Treasurer under King Charles II. His grandson, Sir Thomas Osborne (1631-1712), became the 1st Duke of Leeds and held various positions in the government, including Lord President of the Council.
During the 18th century, the Osborne family continued to play a prominent role in British society. Francis Osborne (1593-1659) was a notable English essayist and philosopher, while Thomas Osborne (1705-1768) was a successful merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches and schools in London.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous bearers of the Osborne name was Ralph Bernal Osborne (1808-1882), a British politician and writer who served as a Member of Parliament and authored several works on history and literature.
Another notable figure from this period was Bernal Osborne (1792-1863), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as a Member of Parliament.
As the name spread across the English-speaking world, it continued to be associated with individuals of prominence and achievement in various fields, from politics and military service to literature and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osborne
Among Census respondents with the surname Osborne, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Osborne 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 Osborne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 50,995
- Black or African American12.0% · 7,700
- Two or more races4.1% · 2,640
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 1,992
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 404
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 367
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osborne
Osborne 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
#502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 66,827
+1,025 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 22.65
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,098
-2,729 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 21.44
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #457 | 65,802 | 24.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #502 | 66,827 | 22.65 | +1,025 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #513 | 64,098 | 21.44 | -2,729 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 11 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 Osborne 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 | #502 | #513 | -2.2% |
| Count | 66,827 | 64,098 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 22.65 | 21.44 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osborne bearers went from 66,827 to 64,098 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #502 to #513.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Osborne
FAQ
Osborne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osborne?
Name Census estimates that about 73,503 living Americans carry the surname Osborne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,663 residents.
How common is Osborne?
Osborne ranks #513 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 64,098 people with the surname Osborne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (73,503), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Osborne.
Has Osborne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osborne went from 66,827 recorded bearers to 64,098. That is a decrease of 2,729 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #502 to #513.
What does the Census say about the background of Osborne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osborne, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Osborne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (50,995 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osborne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Black (12.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Osborne (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 Osborne mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bear god's stream" or "divine bear's stream" in Old English. 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 Osborne (21.44 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 have the surname Osborne?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.