The Oster surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,259 people carried this name — #5,554 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 47,200 people counted. That is up 8% from 5,771 in 2000.
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Oster surname
Borrowed from German Oster or Swedish Öster.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Oster» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 831 people named Oster.
30 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 51 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
92 people named Oster live in Switzerland.
They live in 10 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
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 Argentina’s national register
At least 63 people named Oster live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
57 people named Oster have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 83 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 7 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Łódź.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
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
1,191 people named Oster are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
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) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Oster in American newspapers,
1876–1919.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 73,680 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Oster,
with a public archive behind them.
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Franz Oster 1869–1933 · mechanical engineer -
Max Oster d. 1917 · soldier
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Michel Oster 1807–1870 · painter
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Bina Oster 1856–1942
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Sara Oster 1867–1943
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Isidor Oster 1868–1940
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Oster.
- Osinski 1,159 · U.S. census
- Osman 9,908 · U.S. census
- Osmani 861 · U.S. census
- Osmond 1,367 · U.S. census
- Ossola 174 · U.S. census
- Osswald 386 · U.S. census
- Ostermann 956 · U.S. census
- Ostertag 969 · U.S. census
- Ostin 164 · U.S. census
- Ostrowski 7,005 · U.S. census
- Oswald 14,322 · U.S. census
- Otero 20,937 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Oster 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.