Oswald Surname

8,735th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 65,040 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Austria

Oswald Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Oswald,' corruptly Oswell or Oswill. A very early personal name; compare Oswald Kirk, a parish in Yorkshire. 'Osewold the Reve': Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales.

Simon Aswald, Oxfordshire, 1273.

Read More About This Surname

Oswald Surname Distribution Map

By incidenceBy frequencyBy rank
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States19,8241:18,2842,311
Germany18,9601:4,246489
Austria4,1691:2,043159
Tanzania3,8541:13,7371,778
Rwanda3,7211:3,054749
Switzerland2,6901:3,053392
France2,0671:32,1353,908
Canada1,4891:24,7453,347
Australia1,3811:19,5482,716
England1,2451:44,7535,655
Ghana1,1081:24,3872,946
Scotland5841:9,1671,308
Brazil5591:382,95914,635
Sri Lanka2921:71,2627,441
New Zealand2171:20,8683,656
Poland2161:175,96624,252
Argentina2011:212,65417,530
South Africa1711:316,82930,013
Luxembourg1261:4,607639
Thailand1241:569,66497,190
Czechia1231:86,45114,431
Haiti1191:89,7814,494
Netherlands1151:146,84522,164
Jamaica971:29,5872,210
Slovakia931:57,38111,067
Namibia831:29,0294,463
New Caledonia831:3,328498
Indonesia821:1,612,795106,468
Malaysia801:368,67819,491
Papua New Guinea771:105,89214,318
Hungary741:132,65212,253
Zimbabwe741:208,62523,867
India721:10,653,686201,049
Nigeria721:2,460,31681,464
DR Congo621:1,191,60673,277
Portugal471:221,6658,706
Denmark461:122,71111,225
Singapore431:128,0865,748
Sweden391:252,48117,476
Wales371:83,6366,963
Malta361:11,952723
Norway361:142,84118,058
Belgium311:370,85940,209
Dominican Republic311:336,54611,471
Spain291:1,612,13947,760
Chile231:765,93416,989
Russia191:7,585,424283,555
Guyana171:44,8374,218
Burundi161:612,803644
Iraq161:2,188,85319,343
Italy151:4,077,113105,022
Paraguay131:556,6737,036
Ecuador121:1,325,48716,904
Qatar121:196,50026,891
Bermuda101:6,5281,005
Slovenia101:248,76816,532
Vanuatu91:29,253714
Northern Ireland81:230,63010,839
China81:170,915,1968,932
Uganda81:4,879,910106,546
Bosnia and Herzegovina71:505,20013,972
Kenya71:6,597,12951,431
Japan61:21,307,38248,838
Mexico61:20,687,70153,861
Philippines61:16,873,037249,062
Romania61:3,346,31256,696
Solomon Islands61:96,67218,437
Costa Rica51:956,0146,058
Croatia51:845,72148,179
Bahrain41:337,1526,054
Botswana41:546,73222,624
Colombia41:11,943,51826,735
Ethiopia41:24,386,56619,165
Gabon41:472,2983,618
Israel41:2,139,40895,907
Jordan41:2,210,60920,372
Samoa41:48,452659
Saudi Arabia41:7,713,95437,548
Togo41:1,811,9428,122
Cameroon31:6,923,023143,724
Iceland31:126,6975,403
Jersey31:33,0674,675
Pakistan31:59,547,962132,569
Belarus21:4,750,530139,516
Greece21:5,539,895129,142
Kosovo21:930,93412,188
Serbia21:3,572,47432,645
South Korea21:25,620,1284,175
Ukraine21:22,761,348425,733
United Arab Emirates21:4,581,13693,443
Venezuela21:15,102,03869,873
Ireland11:4,708,93929,543
Algeria11:38,631,551130,422
Angola11:26,989,21411,853
Antigua and Barbuda11:99,1712,137
Aruba11:103,4772,586
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Barbados11:287,4482,772
Benin11:10,335,602103,742
Burkina Faso11:18,352,10030,051
Cayman Islands11:63,8932,384
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Dominica11:75,891912
El Salvador11:6,343,8888,415
Estonia11:1,321,80440,178
Finland11:5,496,70284,025
Guam11:160,1214,893
Guinea11:11,833,8173,268
Honduras11:8,816,4429,272
Hong Kong11:7,335,48316,643
Ivory Coast11:23,071,23276,679
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Kuwait11:3,800,69427,187
Lebanon11:5,637,08332,436
Liberia11:4,408,53547,110
Madagascar11:23,649,8379,420
Malawi11:17,119,10934,144
Mauritius11:1,293,41716,552
Moldova11:3,561,36878,271
Nepal11:28,480,95622,413
Nicaragua11:6,021,0908,768
Oman11:3,687,97114,390
Panama11:3,912,25817,195
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Saint Kitts and Nevis11:55,1991,294
Saint Lucia11:178,7813,800
Senegal11:14,579,34211,705
Suriname11:552,6169,664
Syria11:19,301,02222,457
Taiwan11:23,444,74693,622
Trinidad and Tobago11:1,363,97522,013
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
United States Virgin Islands11:110,3756,934
Show All Nations
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland781:56,7934,570
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Scotland6971:5,370804
England6791:35,8994,674
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States2,5891:19,3972,458

Oswald (72,431) may also be a first name.

Oswald Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Oswald,' corruptly Oswell or Oswill. A very early personal name; compare Oswald Kirk, a parish in Yorkshire. 'Osewold the Reve': Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales.

Simon Aswald, Oxfordshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

John Oswald, Gloucestershire, 1325. Writs of Parliament.

Oswelt Faireweather, 1540: Reg. St. Antholin (London).

Oswall Mosley, 1620: Reg. St. Mary Aldermary (London).

Oswell Stephens, 1744: Reg. Canterbury Cath.

All Manchester people are familiar with the name of Sir Oswald Mosley.

1570. Married — William Osewell and Marye Mills: St. Michael, Cornhill.

1632. Baptised — John, s. John Oswell: St. James, Clerkenwell.

I need not furnish modern instances of Oswald.

— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

From the Old English personal name Oswald, meaning 'divine power.' The Oswalds of Caithness are descended from James Oswald of Kirkwall, d.c. 1660, and a family of this name has been for more than two centuries resident in Fife, Archibald Oswall, minister of the word of God apud Pankaitland, 1649 (Inquis., 3581). Alexander Oswell of Falkirk, burgess of Glasgow, 1622 (Burgesses). James Oswald was notary in Coldstream, 1665 (Lauder), and David Oswald of Dalders was retoured heir in lands and barony of Skirling, 1683 (Retours, Lanark, 359).

— The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English and Scandinavian) Divine Power [Old English ós = Old Norse áss (ás-, divine), a god+ Old English w(e)ald = Old Norse uald, power, might] The most famous historical bearer of this name was the Northumbrian christian king Oswald who fell A.D. 642 in a battle with Penda, king of the Mercians. This battle is traditionally reputed to have taken place at or near Oswestry, formerly Oswaldestre, i.e. Oswald’s Cross, which the Welsh called by their equivalent Croes Oswallt. The locality does not, however, seem to be a likely one for a conflict between Northumbrian and Mercian troops. An earlier ‘Oswald’s Cross,’ that erected by the saint-king near Hexham, before his victorious encounter with the British King Cædwalla (as related by Bæda, ‘Hist. Eccl.’, iii. 2), “decided the fate of Britain for ever.”

The modern Dano-Norwegian forms are Aasvald, Osvald.

— Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English) Descendant of Oswald (divine power).

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

An Anglo-Saxon personal name.

— Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

A steward.

— The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

(Saxon.) From hus, a house, and wald, a ruler—a house—ruler or steward; a king of Northumberland.

— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

From the Old Norse, Asvaldr; from the Flemish, from the German, Oswald; a personal name.

— British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber
DNA test information
Display Statistics on:

Oswald Demographics

Average Male Oswald Height

176.7 cm

Average male height (US):
175.3 cm
Sample size: 313 (2014)

Average Female Oswald Height

160.45 cm

Average female height (US):
161.5 cm
Sample size: 33 (2014)

Sample is predominantly from Anglosphere countries

View the tallest/shortest surnames in the world

Oswald Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Oswald Come From? nationality or country of origin

Oswald (Arabic: اوسفالد, Hindi: ओसवाल्ड, Marathi: ओसवाल) is held by more people in The United States than any other country or territory. It may also occur in the variant forms:. For other possible spellings of this name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Oswald? popularity and diffusion

This surname is the 8,735th most frequently held surname at a global level. It is borne by around 1 in 112,047 people. This last name is predominantly found in Europe, where 47 percent of Oswald are found; 43 percent are found in Western Europe and 40 percent are found in Germanic Europe. Oswald is also the 13,491st most widely held first name throughout the world, borne by 72,431 people.

This surname is most frequently held in The United States, where it is borne by 19,824 people, or 1 in 18,284. In The United States Oswald is most prevalent in: Pennsylvania, where 9 percent live, California, where 8 percent live and New York, where 6 percent live. Outside of The United States Oswald exists in 133 countries. It is also found in Germany, where 29 percent live and Austria, where 6 percent live.

Oswald Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Oswald has changed over time. In The United States the share of the population with the surname grew 766 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 183 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it contracted 16 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it contracted 99 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Oswald Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those carrying the last name is chiefly Anglican (61%) in Ireland.

In The United States Oswald are 16.74% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 63.51% being registered to vote for the party.

The amount Oswald earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 39.36% more than the national average, earning 482,287 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 134.06% more than the national average, earning R 556,224 per year; in United States they earn 5.75% more than the national average, earning $45,632 USD per year and in Canada they earn 9.55% more than the national average, earning $54,426 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ASimilarity (high to low)Similarity (low to high)Prevalent jurisdiction A-ZPrevalent jurisdiction Z-A
SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Osswald923,795/
Oszwald92210/
Oswaldt92184/
Ohswald9240/
O'Swald9216/
Oswwald922/
Oswaldz921/
Oswaild921/
Oswaald921/
Hoswald921/
Oshwald921/
Oswauld920/
Oschwald861,200/
Ohswaldt8621/
Oshwaldt860/
Houswald860/
Hoshwald860/
Oswalt836,749/
Oßwald833,922/
Osvald832,725/
Oswold8377/
Aswald8336/
Eswald832/
Uswald831/
Osbald830/
Oswaldová80178/
Oswaldova804/
Oschwaldt800/
Oszvald77524/
Ozsvald77132/
Osvaldt7767/
Osvalds7767/
Usswald7759/
Ossvald7749/
Osswalt7740/
Ochwald7730/
Oßwaldt7710/
Auswald777/
Hosvald776/
Aswaldt774/
Hosuald771/
Oßwalds771/
Oswalth771/
Oshwold771/
Oswaltz770/
Asswald770/
Ashwald770/
Oswalte770/
Haswald770/
Eswaldt770/
Oswoldt770/
Osswaldová755/
Oszwaldová751/
Hauswald712,412/
Hochwald71629/
Auswaldt7115/
Uschwald7114/
Aschwald7111/
Osvaldtt712/
Oschwaldová711/
Guhswald711/
Hushwald710/
Houswalt710/
Otswaltz710/
Osvaldová67595/
Osvold67380/
Osvalt6762/
Hauswaldt6745/
Hausswald6726/
Osvaldova6725/
Usvald6717/
Oßwalt6713/
Asvald6711/
Esvald678/
Aswalt672/
Osveld672/
Osbold671/
Oswolt671/
Axwald671/
Aswold671/
Ozwold671/
Osbalt671/
Ósvald671/
Osualt670/
Show All Similar Surnames

Oswald Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Oswald in the Marathi language
ओसवालosavala56
ओसवलडosavalada8
ओसवलosavala8
ओशवालosavala8
ऑसवेलosavela4
ओसवालदosavalada4
ओसवडosavada4
ओसरालosarala4
ओसवाडosavada4
Oswald in the Hindi language
ओसवाल्डosavalda50
औसवल्डausavalda50
Oswald in the Arabic language
اوسفالدawsfald-
اوسوالدawswald-

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Oswald
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis