2000
#5,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,827
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.16
Rare Last name
Ochs
A German occupational surname referring to a person who farmed or herded oxen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,479 Americans carry the last name Ochs. That puts it at #5,883 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,902 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ochs 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
6.5K
1 in 52,902
Census rank
#5,883
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,650 bearers of the surname Ochs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5883rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ochs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ochs
The surname OCHS originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the German word "Ochs," which means "ox" or "bull," suggesting an occupational connection to cattle or oxen-related trades or professions.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records mentioning individuals bearing this surname in various regions of Germany, particularly in the southern and central areas. Some early spellings of the name include Ochse, Ochss, and Oxe.
One of the earliest documented references to the OCHS surname can be found in the Reichsteuerlisten (Imperial Tax Lists) of 1497, which recorded individuals with this name living in the regions of Württemberg and Bavaria.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in several historical records, such as the Nürnberger Bürgerbuch (Nuremberg Citizen Book) of 1506, which listed a certain Hans Ochs as a resident of the city.
Over the centuries, the OCHS surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including:
1. Philipp Ochs (1554-1604), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Heidelberg.
2. Johann Rudolf Ochs (1673-1749), a Swiss painter known for his religious and mythological works.
3. Peter Ochs (1749-1821), a German philosopher and theologian, who served as a professor at the University of Basel.
4. Johann Ferdinand Ochs (1779-1845), a German composer and music theorist, best known for his contributions to the field of musical pedagogy.
5. Johann Rudolph Ochs (1817-1886), a Swiss-American journalist and publisher, who founded the influential newspaper The New York Times in 1851.
The OCHS surname was also associated with various place names in Germany, such as Ochsenfurt, a town in Bavaria, and Ochsenbach, a village in Baden-Württemberg, which likely served as sources for the surname's origin or spread.
Throughout its history, the OCHS surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, academics, artists, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ochs
Among Census respondents with the surname Ochs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ochs 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 Ochs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 5,258
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 191
- Two or more races2.2% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
- Black or African American0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ochs
Ochs 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
#5,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,901
+74 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 363 places
2020
#5,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,650
-251 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,490 | 5,827 | 2.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,853 | 5,901 | 2.00 | +74 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 363 places |
| 2020 | #5,883 | 5,650 | 1.89 | -251 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 30 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 Ochs 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 | #5,853 | #5,883 | -0.5% |
| Count | 5,901 | 5,650 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.00 | 1.89 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ochs bearers went from 5,901 to 5,650 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,853 to #5,883.
FAQ
Ochs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ochs?
Name Census estimates that about 6,479 living Americans carry the surname Ochs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,902 residents.
How common is Ochs?
Ochs ranks #5,883 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,650 people with the surname Ochs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,479), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ochs.
Has Ochs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ochs went from 5,901 recorded bearers to 5,650. That is a decrease of 251 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,853 to #5,883.
What does the Census say about the background of Ochs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ochs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ochs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (5,258 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ochs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Ochs (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 Ochs mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who farmed or herded oxen. 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 Ochs (1.89 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 Ochs?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Ochs at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.