Oakland last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Oakland is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Oakland.

Meaning of Oakland

Refers to someone originating from or residing near an oak-lined area.

Oakland, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Oakland surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oakland in America

Oakland is the 21700th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oakland surname appeared 1,200 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Oakland.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oakland to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 21700 20319 6.57%
Count 1,200 1,217 -1.41%
Proportion per 100k 0.41 0.45 -9.30%

The history of the last name Oakland

The surname Oakland is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "ac" meaning "oak" and "land" meaning "land" or "estate." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, referring to individuals who resided near oak trees or oak-covered lands.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Oakland can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Acland" and "Akland," indicating its connection to oak-covered areas.

In the 13th century, records show individuals with the name Oakland residing in the county of Somerset, England. One notable example is Roger de Oakland, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Somerset in 1268.

During the 16th century, the name Oakland was associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Sir Lewis Oakland (c. 1520-1583), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset. Another was Thomas Oakland (1545-1601), a clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Taunton.

In the 17th century, the name Oakland gained prominence with the birth of Edward Oakland (1639-1711), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Somerset. He was a significant figure in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Oakland was Sir John Oakland (1711-1778), a British naval officer who served during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He achieved the rank of Vice Admiral and was knighted for his military service.

The 19th century saw the rise of several individuals with the surname Oakland, including the English artist William Oakland (1816-1890), known for his landscape paintings, and the American politician Thomas Oakland (1835-1901), who served as the Mayor of Oakland, California, from 1867 to 1869.

Throughout its history, the surname Oakland has been closely tied to the English counties of Somerset and Devon, where many families with this name have resided for centuries. Additionally, the name has been associated with various places, such as Oakland Park in Somerset and Oakland Valley in Devon, further reinforcing its connection to oak-covered lands.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oakland

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Oakland.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Oakland was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.58% 1,135
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.75% 9
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.75% 33
Hispanic Origin 1.50% 18

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Oakland has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.58% 95.65% -1.12%
Black 0.75% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.99% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.75% 1.64% 50.57%
Hispanic 1.50% 1.15% 26.42%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Oakland was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Oakland, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Oakland last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/oakland-surname-popularity/.

"Oakland last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/oakland-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Oakland last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/oakland-surname-popularity/.

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