2000
#78,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 226
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Oz
A surname derived from the Hebrew word 'oz', meaning strength or might.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 591 Americans carry the last name Oz. That puts it at #44,823 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 579,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oz 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 Oz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
591
1 in 579,957
Census rank
#44,823
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
515
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 515 bearers of the surname Oz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44823rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oz, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Black (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oz
The surname "Oz" is believed to have originated from the Old French word "oz", which means "bear". This name is thought to have first appeared in France during the Middle Ages, likely as a nickname for someone who was considered strong or brave like a bear.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Osz" in the county of Lincolnshire, England. This suggests that the name may have been brought to England by Norman settlers after the conquest of 1066.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as "Otz", "Oze", and "Ozze" in various records throughout France and England. It is believed that these variations were influenced by regional dialects and the way the name was pronounced.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Oz, a French knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Another early bearer was Robert Oz, a landowner in Essex, England, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1166.
During the 14th century, the name "Oz" began to appear in Scotland, possibly brought by French or Norman settlers. One example is William Oz, a merchant from Aberdeen who was mentioned in records from the year 1379.
In the 15th century, the name was found in various parts of Germany, where it was often spelled as "Otz" or "Otze". One notable bearer from this period was Hans Otz, a German Reformer and theologian who lived from 1484 to 1548.
By the 16th century, the name had spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Scandinavia. In the Netherlands, the name was sometimes spelled as "Oos" or "Oose", while in Sweden it appeared as "Ås" or "Åse".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oz
Among Census respondents with the surname Oz, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Black (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Oz 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 Oz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.5% · 425
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 46
- Black or African American5.4% · 28
- Two or more races1.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oz
Oz 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
#66,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 296
+70 bearers (+31.0%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 11,795 places
2020
#44,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 515
+219 bearers (+74.0%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 21,931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #78,549 | 226 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #66,754 | 296 | 0.10 | +70 bearers (+31.0%) | Up 11,795 places |
| 2020 | #44,823 | 515 | 0.17 | +219 bearers (+74.0%) | Up 21,931 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 Oz 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 | #66,754 | #44,823 | 32.9% |
| Count | 296 | 515 | 74.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.17 | 72.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oz bearers went from 296 to 515 (+74.0% change). The surname moved up 21,931 positions in the national ranking, going from #66,754 to #44,823.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Oz
FAQ
Oz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oz?
Name Census estimates that about 591 living Americans carry the surname Oz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 579,957 residents.
How common is Oz?
Oz ranks #44,823 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 515 people with the surname Oz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Oz.
Has Oz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oz went from 296 recorded bearers to 515. That is an increase of 219 (+74.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #66,754 to #44,823.
What does the Census say about the background of Oz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oz, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Black (5.4%). 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 Oz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.5% (425 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.5%), Hispanic (8.9%), Black (5.4%). 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 Oz (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 Oz mean?
A surname derived from the Hebrew word 'oz', meaning strength or might. 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 Oz (0.17 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 Oz?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Oz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.