Explore the Family Name Oldfather

The meaning of Oldfather

Americanized form (translation into English) of German Altvater or of its very rare North German cognate Oldvader.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Oldfather in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Oldfather has seen a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 43,546th in terms of prevalence but dropped to the 45,026th position by 2010, signifying a decline of 3.4%. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased from 467 to 476 over the same period, marking a growth of approximately 1.93%. Yet, the proportion of Oldfathers per 100k people slightly decreased by 5.88%.

20002010Change
Rank#43,546#45,026-3.4%
Count4674761.93%
Proportion per 100k0.170.16-5.88%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Oldfather

The ethnicity associated with the Oldfather surname, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data, is predominantly White. In both 2000 and 2010, a substantial majority of individuals identified as White, although there was a marginal drop from 97.43% to 96.85%. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase of 10.53%, albeit from a low base of 1.71% in 2000 to 1.89% in 2010. The data also shows that a small portion (1.26%) started identifying with two or more races in 2010, which wasn't the case in 2000. There was no representation from the Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native communities in either census year.

20002010Change
White97.43%96.85%-0.6%
Hispanic1.71%1.89%10.53%
Two or More Races0%1.26%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%