Oster Family History

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Oster Name Meaning

Swedish (Öster) and German: topographic name from Swedish öster, Middle Low German and Middle High German oster ‘eastern’, denoting someone who lived to the east of a settlement or who had come there from the east. In many cases the Swedish name is probably ornamental. German: nickname for someone who had a connection with the festival of Easter (for example, someone who was born or baptized at that time), from Oster ‘Easter’. Jewish (Ashkenazic): topographic or ornamental name from German Ost ‘east’ or ornamental name from German Oster ‘Easter’; compare 1 and 3. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): nickname from Polish ostry or Russian ostryj ‘sharp’, ‘sharp-minded’. Dutch: from a Germanic personal name composed of aust ‘east’ + heri, hari ‘army’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Otter, Osten, Koster, Easter, Poster, Doster, Oser, Ester, Ostler

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Oster Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Oster name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Oster. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    38%

  • Germanic Europe

    16%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    15%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    7%

  • European Jewish

    6%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Oster Family Origin

Where is the Oster family from?

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You can see how Oster families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Oster family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Oster families were found in the USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 65 Oster families living in Ontario. This was about 57% of all the recorded Oster's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Oster families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Oster surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Oster

Oster Family Occupations

What did your Oster ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, a less common occupation for the Oster family was Labourer. The most common Oster occupation in Canada was Farmer. 53% of Oster's were Farmers. Farmer, School and Laborer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Oster.

View Census data for Oster | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    53%

  • School

    21%

  • Laborer

    16%

  • Labourer

    5%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Oster ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Oster Historical Records

What Oster family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 29,000 census records available for the last name Oster. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Oster census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Oster

Passenger List

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Oster. 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 Oster immigration records

Draft Card

There are 9,000 military records available for the last name Oster. For the veterans among your Oster ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Oster military records

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Oster Life Expectancy

What is the average Oster lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Oster life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Oster in 1944 was 37, and 80 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Oster

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Oster 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.

Famous Oster Family Ancestors

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