2000
#14,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,860
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Osbourne
From the Old English "os" meaning "god" and "beorn" meaning "bear", thus "god-bear" or "divine bear".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,709 Americans carry the last name Osbourne. That puts it at #12,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osbourne 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 Osbourne with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,524
Census rank
#12,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,362 bearers of the surname Osbourne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osbourne, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.6%. The next largest groups are Black (43.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osbourne
The surname Osbourne is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English personal name Osbeorn, which means "divine bear." It is believed to have originated in the regions of Derbyshire and Staffordshire in England during the 8th or 9th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Osbern." This record suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
In the 12th century, the name evolved into various spellings such as Osbern, Osborn, and Osbourne. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name.
Historically, the Osbourne family held lands and estates in various parts of England, including Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire. One notable figure from this lineage was Sir John Osbourne (1552-1628), who served as a member of Parliament for Worcestershire and was knighted by King James I.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Thomas Osbourne (1632-1712), 1st Duke of Leeds. He was a prominent English statesman who served as Lord President of the Council and Lord Privy Seal under King William III and Queen Anne.
In the literary realm, Dorothy Osbourne (1627-1695) gained recognition for her letters, which provided insight into the social and cultural life of the 17th century English gentry. Her correspondences with Sir William Temple were published posthumously and became widely popular.
The name Osbourne has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Osbourne Hollow in Wiltshire and Osbourne's Hill in Derbyshire. These locations likely derived their names from early settlers or landowners bearing the Osbourne surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Osbourne include John Osbourne (1858-1923), a British poet and playwright, and John Osbourne (1929-1994), the English playwright and screenwriter best known for his iconic play "Look Back in Anger."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osbourne
Among Census respondents with the surname Osbourne, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.6%. The next largest groups are Black (43.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Osbourne 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 Osbourne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.6% · 1,148
- Black or African American43.3% · 1,023
- Two or more races4.2% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osbourne
Osbourne 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
#12,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
+703 bearers (+37.8%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 2,502 places
2020
#12,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,362
-201 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,658 | 1,860 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,156 | 2,563 | 0.87 | +703 bearers (+37.8%) | Up 2,502 places |
| 2020 | #12,526 | 2,362 | 0.79 | -201 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 370 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 Osbourne 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 | #12,156 | #12,526 | -3.0% |
| Count | 2,563 | 2,362 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.79 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osbourne bearers went from 2,563 to 2,362 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 370 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,156 to #12,526.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Osbourne
FAQ
Osbourne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osbourne?
Name Census estimates that about 2,709 living Americans carry the surname Osbourne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,524 residents.
How common is Osbourne?
Osbourne ranks #12,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,362 people with the surname Osbourne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,709), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Osbourne.
Has Osbourne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osbourne went from 2,563 recorded bearers to 2,362. That is a decrease of 201 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,156 to #12,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Osbourne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osbourne, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.6%. The next largest groups are Black (43.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Osbourne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.6% (1,148 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osbourne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.6%), Black (43.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Osbourne (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 Osbourne mean?
From the Old English "os" meaning "god" and "beorn" meaning "bear", thus "god-bear" or "divine bear". 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 Osbourne (0.79 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 Osbourne?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Osbourne? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.