A Scottish and English surname the Osborne family name came from the Old Norse term ‘asbjorn’ which meant divine bear. An Old English spelling was Osbern. The surname also spread into Ireland by the 1500s.

Spelling variations for Osborne include Osborn, Osbourn, Osburn, Osbourne, Osbern and Osburne.

In England the Osborne family name is scattered across the country. In the city of London and in Essex, Kent, Midlands, Cornwell, Hampshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Somerset and Warwickshire are the higher numbers of individuals with the Osborne name.
In Scotland the Osborne surname is very popular. The Osborne families are mostly in Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire and then scattered over the rest of Scotland.

Within the United States Osborne families live mostly in Washington, California, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Kansas, Ohio and Michigan.

Famous: Barry M. Osborne (movie film producer), Charles Osborne (journalist and writer from Australia), Adam Osborne (developed the portable computer known in 1981 as the Osborne 1), Dave Osborne (comedian), Phillip Osborne (explorer of the Middle East), John Osborne (playwright of England), Jim Osborne (professional tennis player) and Steve Osborne (music producer).