Oca
Small, nutritious tuber native to the Andes region of South America.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Oca. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Oca today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oca births was 1894 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oca. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Oca. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1894
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1917 SSA rank
#5,118
Tracked since 1894
Popularity
Oca: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oca from the 1890s through to the 1910s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 10 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oca by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Oca during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oca
The name Oca originates from the Quechua language, spoken by the indigenous peoples of the Andean region in South America. It has its roots in the ancient Inca civilization, which flourished in present-day Peru and parts of neighboring countries from the 13th to the 16th century.
In the Quechua language, the word "oca" refers to a tuber crop cultivated by the Incas and other Andean cultures for centuries. This edible tuber, similar to a potato, held significant cultural and culinary importance in the region. The name Oca is believed to have been derived from this agricultural term, perhaps given to children as a symbol of nourishment and connection to the land.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Oca can be traced back to the 16th century, during the Spanish colonization of the Inca Empire. Spanish chroniclers and historians documented the names of various Inca nobles and leaders, some of whom bore the name Oca.
One notable bearer of the name Oca was Inca Roca, a ruler of the Inca Empire who reigned from 1350 to 1380 CE. He is credited with establishing the city of Cusco as the capital of the Inca Empire and overseeing significant expansions of Inca territory.
Another historical figure with the name Oca was Inca Pachacutec (1438-1471 CE), one of the most powerful and influential rulers of the Inca Empire. He is known for his military conquests, administrative reforms, and the construction of impressive architectural works, including the famous Inca Trail leading to Machu Picchu.
In the 17th century, Oca Alonso Curicuillor, a Quechua noble and leader, played a significant role in the resistance against Spanish colonization in the region of Huamanga (now Ayacucho, Peru).
During the 19th century, Oca Paullu, a Quechua historian and writer, documented the history and culture of the indigenous peoples of Peru, making valuable contributions to preserving the knowledge and traditions of his ancestors.
Oca has remained a popular name among the indigenous communities of the Andean region, particularly in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, serving as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Quechua people.
People
Oca + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oca as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Oca: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oca?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oca going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Oca a common name?
We classify Oca as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oca most popular?
The single biggest year for Oca was 1894, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oca is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Oca in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oca a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oca in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Oca still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oca in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Oca can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Oca?
Find out how many people have the name Oca on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.