as a Last Name
- 15,663
- people in the U.S. have this name Get contact details for people named Oswald
Meaning & Origins
Scottish, northern English, and German: from an Old English personal name composed of the elements ōs ‘god’ + weald ‘power’. In the Middle English period, this fell together with the less common Old Norse cognate Ásvaldr. The name was introduced to Germany from England, as a result of the fame of St. Oswald, a 7th-century king of Northumbria, whose deeds were reported by Celtic missionaries to southern Germany. The name was also borne by a 10th-century English saint of Danish parentage, who was important as a monastic reformer.
| 2,338th in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Quick facts
- Thousands
- of people in the U.S have this name
- 15,663
- to be exact (as of February 2011)
- South Dakota
- has the most people named Oswald per capita
Top state populations
U.S. Distribution Map
