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

Ochoa, 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 Ochoa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ochoa in America

Ochoa is the 408th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ochoa surname appeared 78,677 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 27 people would have the surname Ochoa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ochoa 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 Ochoa

The surname Ochoa has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "otxoa," which means "little wolf." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who exhibited wolf-like characteristics or lived in an area inhabited by wolves.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Ochoa can be traced back to the 11th century in the Basque Country. Notable individuals from this period include Fortún Ochoa, a nobleman and military leader who fought against the Moors in the Reconquista, and Sancho Ochoa, a clergyman who served as the Bishop of Pamplona in the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various historical records and documents from the Kingdom of Navarre. One such example is Juan Ochoa, a prominent merchant and landowner who was mentioned in the Fuero de Pamplona, a legal code established in the city of Pamplona.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Ochoa became more widely dispersed throughout Spain and its colonies in the Americas. This was likely due to the Basque involvement in maritime exploration and trade during this period. Juan Sebastián Elcano, the Spanish explorer and navigator who completed the first circumnavigation of the globe after Magellan's death, was born Juan Sebastián Ochoa in the Basque town of Guetaria in 1476.

Another notable individual with the surname Ochoa was Eugenio de Ochoa y Montel, a Spanish writer, translator, and literary critic born in Lekunberri, Navarre, in 1833. He is best known for his translations of works by Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott into Spanish.

In the 20th century, the Mexican writer and diplomat Octavio Ochoa y Alvarez (1896-1975) gained recognition for his contributions to Mexican literature and his diplomatic service in various countries around the world.

Throughout its history, the surname Ochoa has maintained a strong presence in the Basque region, as well as in other parts of Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, particularly Mexico, where it has become a relatively common surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ochoa

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

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

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

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