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

Ochiai, 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 Ochiai surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ochiai in America

Ochiai is the 107134th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ochiai surname appeared 166 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 Ochiai.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ochiai 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.

The history of the last name Ochiai

The surname Ochiai is of Japanese origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Ochiai district in the city of Kyoto, which was a prominent center of culture and politics during the Heian period (794-1185 CE). The name is thought to be derived from the Japanese words "ochi" meaning "descent" or "slope" and "ai" meaning "valley" or "low-lying area."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ochiai can be found in the Azuma Kagami (Mirror of the East), a historical chronicle of the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE). The text mentions an individual named Ochiai no Morinaga, who served as a samurai warrior under the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War in the late 12th century.

In the late 16th century, during the Sengoku period (1467-1615 CE), there are records of a prominent samurai named Ochiai Michiharu, who fought alongside the legendary warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu. Michiharu played a crucial role in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which solidified Tokugawa's control over Japan and ushered in the Edo period (1603-1868 CE).

One of the most notable individuals with the surname Ochiai was Ochiai Naobumi (1861-1927), a prominent educator and philosopher who played a significant role in modernizing Japan's education system during the Meiji era (1868-1912 CE). He is credited with introducing Western philosophical ideas and establishing the study of ethics as an academic discipline in Japan.

Another influential figure with the Ochiai surname was Ochiai Naoki (1913-1992), a renowned Japanese mathematician and physicist. He made significant contributions to the field of theoretical physics, particularly in the areas of quantum field theory and particle physics. Ochiai's work on the renormalization group theory and his collaboration with Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, a Nobel laureate in physics, are highly regarded in the scientific community.

In the realm of literature, Ochiai Naobumi (1935-2019), a celebrated Japanese author and poet, left a lasting impact on the literary landscape. His works, which often explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition, garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the prestigious Yomiuri Prize for Literature in 1991.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the surname Ochiai throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich cultural heritage of Japan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ochiai

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

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 Ochiai was:

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 Ochiai has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Ochiai was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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