2000
#1,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,334
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.43
Uncommon Last name
Ocampo
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Ocampo in Spain or the Americas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,060 Americans carry the last name Ocampo. That puts it at #1,368 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,795 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ocampo surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ocampo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
29K
1 in 11,795
Census rank
#1,368
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,342 bearers of the surname Ocampo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1368th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocampo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.2%) and White (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ocampo
The surname Ocampo is of Spanish origin, originating in the northern region of Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "campo," meaning "field" or "countryside," with the prefix "o" likely added to indicate a place of origin or reference.
The earliest known records of the name date back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various documents and manuscripts from the Castilian region of Spain. It is believed that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or owned land in a rural area or near a particular field.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Ocampo can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census-like document from the 14th century that recorded landowners and their properties in Castile. This suggests that the Ocampo surname may have been associated with landed gentry or nobility during this period.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Juan de Ocampo was a Spanish explorer and cartographer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was born in Seville around 1490 and is known for creating one of the earliest maps of the Gulf of Mexico and the surrounding region.
Another prominent individual with the Ocampo surname was Baltasar de Ocampo, a 16th-century Spanish historian and author who wrote extensively about the history of Spain and its rulers. He was born in Ocaña, Spain, around 1515 and served as the royal chronicler under King Philip II.
In the 17th century, Gaspar de Ocampo y Guzmán was a Spanish military commander and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the Philippines from 1644 to 1650. He played a significant role in defending the islands against Dutch and Chinese forces during his tenure.
During the 18th century, José Ocampo y Salazar was a prominent Spanish painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. He was born in Seville in 1714 and became a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid.
In the 19th century, Melchor Ocampo was a Mexican lawyer, politician, and one of the key figures in the Reform War against the conservative regime in Mexico. He was born in Querétaro in 1814 and played a crucial role in drafting the Laws of Reform, which established the separation of church and state and other liberal reforms in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ocampo
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocampo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.2%) and White (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ocampo bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ocampo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino78.6% · 19,927
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.2% · 4,095
- White3.6% · 921
- Two or more races1.2% · 296
- Black or African American0.3% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ocampo
Ocampo appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,720
+8,386 bearers (+48.4%)
Per 100,000 8.72
Rank movement Up 529 places
2020
#1,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,342
-378 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 8.48
Rank movement Up 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,903 | 17,334 | 6.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,374 | 25,720 | 8.72 | +8,386 bearers (+48.4%) | Up 529 places |
| 2020 | #1,368 | 25,342 | 8.48 | -378 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 6 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ocampo surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,374 | #1,368 | 0.4% |
| Count | 25,720 | 25,342 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 8.72 | 8.48 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ocampo bearers went from 25,720 to 25,342 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,374 to #1,368.
FAQ
Ocampo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ocampo?
Name Census estimates that about 29,060 living Americans carry the surname Ocampo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,795 residents.
How common is Ocampo?
Ocampo ranks #1,368 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,342 people with the surname Ocampo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,060), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Ocampo.
Has Ocampo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ocampo went from 25,720 recorded bearers to 25,342. That is a decrease of 378 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,374 to #1,368.
What does the Census say about the background of Ocampo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocampo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.2%) and White (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ocampo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (19,927 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ocampo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (78.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.2%), White (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ocampo (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ocampo mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Ocampo in Spain or the Americas. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ocampo (8.48 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Ocampo?
If you just want to know how common the surname Ocampo is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.