2000
#17,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,508
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Ocana
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Ocaña in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,455 Americans carry the last name Ocana. That puts it at #13,564 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,615 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ocana 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.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,615
Census rank
#13,564
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,141 bearers of the surname Ocana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13564th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ocana
The surname Ocana has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. It is derived from the Spanish word "oca," meaning goose, which suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who bred or traded in geese. Alternatively, it could have originated as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with a distinctive gait or physical characteristic reminiscent of a goose.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ocana can be found in the Becerro de Behetrías, a medieval census document from the 14th century, which listed individuals and their properties. This document mentions a certain Juan Ocana, who owned land in the town of Ocana, located in the province of Toledo.
The town of Ocana itself is believed to have derived its name from the same root word as the surname, potentially indicating a historical connection between the place and the name. Some scholars have also noted that Ocana could be a variant spelling of the Basque surname "Okana," which has a similar meaning related to geese.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Ocana. One example is Pedro Ocana (c. 1570-1640), a Spanish painter known for his religious and mythological works, many of which can be found in churches and museums across Spain.
Another figure is Diego de Ocana (1570-1608), a Spanish friar and explorer who accompanied various expeditions to the Americas in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His written accounts provide valuable insights into the indigenous cultures and landscapes of the regions he visited.
In the field of literature, Juan de Ocana (1601-1670) was a Spanish playwright and poet who contributed to the Golden Age of Spanish theater. His works often explored themes of love, honor, and societal norms.
During the 19th century, Manuel Ocana (1808-1887) was a prominent Spanish politician and economist who served as a deputy in the Spanish parliament and advocated for free trade policies.
More recently, José Ocana (1936-2018) was a Spanish sculptor and artist known for his abstract and monumental works, many of which can be found in public spaces across Spain and abroad.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ocana
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ocana 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 Ocana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.7% · 1,920
- White5.6% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 67
- Black or African American1.1% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Two or more races0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ocana
Ocana 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
#14,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,064
+556 bearers (+36.9%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 2,814 places
2020
#13,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,141
+77 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 904 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,282 | 1,508 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,468 | 2,064 | 0.70 | +556 bearers (+36.9%) | Up 2,814 places |
| 2020 | #13,564 | 2,141 | 0.72 | +77 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 904 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 Ocana 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 | #14,468 | #13,564 | 6.2% |
| Count | 2,064 | 2,141 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.72 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ocana bearers went from 2,064 to 2,141 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 904 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,468 to #13,564.
FAQ
Ocana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ocana?
Name Census estimates that about 2,455 living Americans carry the surname Ocana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,615 residents.
How common is Ocana?
Ocana ranks #13,564 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,141 people with the surname Ocana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ocana.
Has Ocana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ocana went from 2,064 recorded bearers to 2,141. That is an increase of 77 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,468 to #13,564.
What does the Census say about the background of Ocana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Ocana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (1,920 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ocana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.7%), White (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.1%). 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 Ocana (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 Ocana mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places called Ocaña in Spain. 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 Ocana (0.72 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 Americans have the surname Ocana?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.