2000
#7,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,078
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Oceguera
A Basque surname derived from the word "otsegile," meaning a wolf hunter or someone who traps wolves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,819 Americans carry the last name Oceguera. That puts it at #12,104 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,587 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oceguera 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
2.8K
1 in 121,587
Census rank
#12,104
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,458 bearers of the surname Oceguera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12104th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oceguera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oceguera
The surname Oceguera has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Basque language, with "oke" meaning "oak" and "guera" meaning "war" or "battle." This suggests that the name may have been used to describe someone who lived near an oak tree or fought in a battle near oak trees.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts in the Basque region of Spain, often spelled slightly differently, such as "Oceguerra" or "Oceguerrea." One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Libro de la Guerra de Navarra, a 13th-century account of the War of Navarre.
In the 16th century, the Oceguera name gained prominence in the Basque Country, particularly in the town of Oceguera, now known as Ozaeta. This town's name likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Oceguera was Juan de Oceguera, a Basque soldier who fought in the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s. He was among the conquistadors who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
Another notable figure was Martín de Oceguera, a 16th-century Basque explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Americas, including the exploration of the Gulf of California and the Pacific Coast of Mexico.
In the 17th century, the Oceguera family played a role in the colonization of New Spain (present-day Mexico and the southwestern United States). Alonso de Oceguera, born in 1620, was a landowner and rancher in the region of Nuevo León, Mexico.
The 18th century saw the Oceguera name spread beyond Spain and Mexico. José María Oceguera, born in 1765 in Veracruz, Mexico, was a prominent military officer who fought in the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish rule.
In the 19th century, Ramón Oceguera, born in 1842 in Sonora, Mexico, was a renowned writer and journalist who advocated for the rights of indigenous people and fought against the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oceguera
Among Census respondents with the surname Oceguera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Oceguera 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 Oceguera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.2% · 2,339
- White4.1% · 100
- Two or more races0.3% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oceguera
Oceguera 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
#9,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,599
-479 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 1,556 places
2020
#12,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,458
-1,141 bearers (-31.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 3,023 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,525 | 4,078 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,081 | 3,599 | 1.22 | -479 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 1,556 places |
| 2020 | #12,104 | 2,458 | 0.82 | -1,141 bearers (-31.7%) | Down 3,023 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 Oceguera 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 | #9,081 | #12,104 | -33.3% |
| Count | 3,599 | 2,458 | -31.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 0.82 | -32.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oceguera bearers went from 3,599 to 2,458 (-31.7% change). The surname moved down 3,023 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,081 to #12,104.
FAQ
Oceguera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oceguera?
Name Census estimates that about 2,819 living Americans carry the surname Oceguera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,587 residents.
How common is Oceguera?
Oceguera ranks #12,104 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,458 people with the surname Oceguera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,819), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Oceguera.
Has Oceguera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oceguera went from 3,599 recorded bearers to 2,458. That is a decrease of 1,141 (-31.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,081 to #12,104.
What does the Census say about the background of Oceguera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oceguera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Oceguera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (2,339 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oceguera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.2%), White (4.1%), Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Oceguera (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 Oceguera mean?
A Basque surname derived from the word "otsegile," meaning a wolf hunter or someone who traps wolves. 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 Oceguera (0.82 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 common is the surname Oceguera?
You can see how many people have the last name Oceguera on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.