2000
#523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,210
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.21
Uncommon Last name
Ochoa
A Basque toponymic surname derived from the word "otso" meaning "wolf", likely referring to someone living near wolves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 89,365 Americans carry the last name Ochoa. That puts it at #408 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 26.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,835 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ochoa 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 Ochoa with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
89K
1 in 3,835
Census rank
#408
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
26.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
78K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 77,931 bearers of the surname Ochoa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 26.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 408th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ochoa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ochoa
Among Census respondents with the surname Ochoa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ochoa 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 Ochoa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.1% · 72,540
- White5.1% · 3,964
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 597
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 318
- Black or African American0.4% · 287
- Two or more races0.3% · 225
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ochoa
Ochoa 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
#408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 78,677
+21,467 bearers (+37.5%)
Per 100,000 26.67
Rank movement Up 115 places
2020
#408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 77,931
-746 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 26.07
Rank movement No rank change
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #523 | 57,210 | 21.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #408 | 78,677 | 26.67 | +21,467 bearers (+37.5%) | Up 115 places |
| 2020 | #408 | 77,931 | 26.07 | -746 bearers (-0.9%) | No rank change |
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 Ochoa 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 | #408 | #408 | 0.0% |
| Count | 78,677 | 77,931 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 26.67 | 26.07 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ochoa bearers went from 78,677 to 77,931 (-0.9% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, remaining at #408.
FAQ
Ochoa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ochoa?
Name Census estimates that about 89,365 living Americans carry the surname Ochoa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,835 residents.
How common is Ochoa?
Ochoa ranks #408 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 26.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 26 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 77,931 people with the surname Ochoa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (89,365), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 26.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 26.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 26 of them to have the surname Ochoa.
Has Ochoa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ochoa went from 78,677 recorded bearers to 77,931. That is a decrease of 746 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it stayed at #408.
What does the Census say about the background of Ochoa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ochoa, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Ochoa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (72,540 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ochoa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.1%), White (5.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Ochoa (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 Ochoa mean?
A Basque toponymic surname derived from the word "otso" meaning "wolf", likely referring to someone living near 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 Ochoa (26.07 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 Ochoa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.