Explore the Family Name Ostwald
The meaning of Ostwald
1. German: variant of Oswald. 2. German: from the ancient Germanic personal name Ostold, composed of the elements ōst (see Oest 1) + Old High German walt(an) ‘to rule’. 3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name composed of German Ost ‘east’ + Wald ‘forest’. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Ostwald in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Ostwald saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 43,232nd most popular surname, but by 2010 it dropped to 43,732nd, representing a decline of 1.16%. However, despite this drop in rank, the actual number of people with the Ostwald surname increased by 4.67%, from 471 in 2000 to 493 in 2010. The proportion of people per 100k with this surname remained steady at 0.17%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #43,232 | #43,732 | -1.16% |
| Count | 471 | 493 | 4.67% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ostwald
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that a majority of people with the Ostwald surname identify as White, with this group increasing from 95.75% in 2000 to 98.17% in 2010. During the same period, the proportion of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native remained at 0%. Similarly, the percentage of those identifying as having two or more ethnicities or as Hispanic fell to 0% in 2010. Given the small overall count of individuals with this surname, these figures should be interpreted with caution.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.75% | 98.17% | 2.53% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.27% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 1.49% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.27% | 0% | 0% |