Oswayo is a borough in Potter County, Pennsylvania, United States.

[4] Oswayo is a Native American name purported to mean "the pine forest".

[6] According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), all land.

The name is the English derivative of the Seneca word "O-sa-ayeh", meaning pine forest.

The whole of the valley was a vast pine forest of trees standing so close that it was impossible for underbrush to grow.

The village was first called Brindleville, but the name was changed when the post office was established in the 1840s.

[citation needed] During early years, the village contained two sawmills and shingle mills and several small shops which catered to local business.

About 14.3% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 20.5% of those sixty five or over.