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Osa Family History

Osa Surname Meaning

Spanish: habitational name from a placename containing the word osa ‘she-bear’. Basque: Castilianized form of Otsa a habitational name from a place called Otsa (in Castilian: Osa) in Navarre from otso ‘wolf’.

Japanese: usually written 筬 ‘reed (of a loom)’ and mainly found in Saga prefecture. It can also be written phonetically such as 小左 (‘small’ and ‘left’) in Shizuoka, Chiba, and Ishikawa prefectures or 尾佐 (‘tail’ and ‘help’) in Fukui, Hiroshima, and Shimane prefectures.

The character 長 ‘long’ is also pronounced osa in some instances.

Central African (mainly Equatorial Guinea): unexplained.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Osa family from?

You can see how Osa families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Osa family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Osa families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 7 Osa families living in British Columbia. This was about 88% of all the recorded Osa's in Canada. British Columbia had the highest population of Osa families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Osa surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Osa ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Osa. 31% of Osa men worked as a Farmer and 100% of Osa women worked as a Maid.

View Census Data for Osa | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    31%
  • Laborer
    24%
  • Salesman
    16%
  • Lens Grinder
    16%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    100%

What Osa family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Osa. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Osa census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Osa

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Osa. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Osa immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 198 military records available for the last name Osa. For the veterans among your Osa ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Osa military records

You've only scratched the surface of Osa family history

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What is the average Osa lifespan?

Between 1964 and 2003, in the United States, Osa life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1976, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Osa in 1964 was 55, and 76 in 2003.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Osa

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Osa ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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