The Osborne surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 66,827 people carried this name — #502 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,420 people counted. That is up 2% from 65,802 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Osborne surname

An English surname transferred from the given name.

From a medieval given name influenced by, or possibly derived from, Old Norse Ásbjǫrn, from áss (“god”) + bjǫrn (“bear”). Components related to Æsir and bear respectively.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Osborne» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Osbern’.

An early record he cites: Gerard fil. Oseberne, Huntingdonshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls. Fil. is Latin for “son of”.

His entry covers Osborn and Osborne.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 573 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 23 births for the Osborne name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,000 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 12
Leinster 5
Munster 5
Connacht 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

42 people named Osborne live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 13
Vaud 7
Zug 7
Geneva 6
Lucerne 5
Bern 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 32 people named Osborne.

Most of them — 28 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Nord.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 28
Nord 2
Yvelines 1
Guadeloupe 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

22 people named Osborne have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 52 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 8 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Masovian 5
West Pomeranian 4
Greater Poland 3
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 2
Lesser Poland 2
Subcarpathian 2
Podlaskie 2
Silesian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

43 people named Osborne is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 43

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Osborne was found among the farmers of 16 counties.

It was most frequent in Somerset: 25 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 400. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Osborn and Osborne.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Somerset 25
Worcestershire 22
Bedfordshire 20
Buckinghamshire 20
Cambridgeshire 20
Cornwall 20
Gloucestershire 20
Northamptonshire 20

And 8 more counties.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Osborne was recorded 29 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 845th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 44. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Osborne in American newspapers,
1907–1912.

Newspaper page from Okolona Messenger carrying the name Osborne
Okolona Messenger 1907-02-06
Newspaper page from The Progressive Farmer And Southern Farm Gazette carrying the name Osborne
The Progressive Farmer And Southern Farm Gazette 1912-10-12
Newspaper page from The Weekly Corinthian carrying the name Osborne
The Weekly Corinthian 1907-01-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 408,000 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Osborne in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

203,385 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Osborne. The most, 31,746, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 85,998
Victoria 45,727
Queensland 22,508
South Australia 19,320
Tasmania 16,324
Western Australia 11,248
ACT (Canberra) 1,284
Northern Territory 407

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Osborne.

Who carried it

People named Osborne,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Rosabelle Osborne d. 1958 · nurse
  • Jimmy Osborne d. 2002 · association football player
  • Christopher Osborne d. 1600 · politician
  • Jakob Osborne d. 1851 · physician
  • Charlotte Anne Park Osborne d. 1971
  • Martha Osborne d. 1689

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Osborne,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States5,534 records

5,534 records of the Osborne name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 2,209
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 946
  • Other U.S. records 2,379
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Charles Edward Osborne

    Born 1946; from Myra, Kentucky. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Phillip Family Cemetery, Myra, Kentucky.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Carolyn L. Osborne

    Born 1918 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1942 in the Women's Army Corps at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; secretary. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Happy Valley Memorial Park, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Edward Thomas Osborne

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Pretoria from Hamburg, aged 25; fitter. From London, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 5,534 records for Osborne in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia4,068 records

4,068 records of the Osborne name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 2,214
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 700
  • Other Australian records 1,154
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Frederick Osborne

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Southworth, sailing from Downs in 1833. Native of St Albans, Hertfordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1843. Married 1844 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 46.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Hannah Osborne

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Margaret, sailing from London in 1843. Native of Ipswich, Suffolk. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Henry Osborne

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Layton, sailing from London in 1839. Native of Maidstone, Kent. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847. Married 1847 in Horton, Tasmania, aged 31.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4,068 records for Osborne in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada631 records

631 records of the Osborne name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 434
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 46
  • Other Canadian records 151
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Osborne

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Scan, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Merna M. Osborne

    Buried in 1988 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 66.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Agnes Osborne

    Died 1951 in Cow Bay, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 631 records for Osborne in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom180 records

180 records of the Osborne name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 142
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 17
  • Other British records 21
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Osborne

    Died 1894, aged 39; buried at Kilmadock Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizh Osborne

    Buried in 1812 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 56.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Prudence Osborne

    Will proved in 1931; of Old Colwyn, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 180 records for Osborne in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand105 records

105 records of the Osborne name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 83
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 12
  • Other New Zealand records 10
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Maxwell Edgar Osborne

    Died 2000, aged 68; buried at Avonhead Memorial Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ethel Florence May Osborne

    Born 1908, died 1999; buried at Oxford Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Daisy Osborne

    Buried in 1958 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 65.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 105 records for Osborne in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands17 records

17 records of the Osborne name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 9
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 8
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Josephus Osborne

    Born 1814 in 's-Hertogenbosch. Died 1820 in 's-Hertogenbosch.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ivy Florence Osborne

    Married in 1928 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 17 records for Osborne in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Ireland16 records

16 records of the Osborne name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Donald Osborne

    Died 1997, aged 58; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ollie Osborne

    Died 2001, aged 56; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 16 records for Osborne in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France7 records

7 records of the Osborne name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Alice Emilienne Osborne

    Born 1906 in Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines); died 1985 in Brienon-sur-Armançon (Yonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Dennis Andre Osborne

    Born 1952 in the United States; died 1997 in Bar-le-Duc (Meuse).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 7 records for Osborne in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Osborne name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Frank Osborne

    Married in 1904 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Osborne.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Osborne.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Osborne is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Osborne volume
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