2000
#14,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,893
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Ocon
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Ocón in La Rioja, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,671 Americans carry the last name Ocon. That puts it at #12,661 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,324 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ocon 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
2.7K
1 in 128,324
Census rank
#12,661
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,329 bearers of the surname Ocon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12661st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ocon
The surname OCON is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "oco," which means "hole" or "cavity," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a hole or cave.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the OCON surname can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting book compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. The book mentions a person named Fernan Ocon, who was likely a hunter or a member of the royal hunting party.
In the 15th century, the OCON surname appeared in various historical documents from the regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia in Spain. One notable individual from this period was Juan de Ocon, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century.
During the 16th century, the OCON surname spread to the Americas as Spanish explorers and settlers ventured to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the Americas is Pedro de Ocon, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
In the 17th century, the OCON surname was found in various parts of Spain and its colonies. One notable figure from this period was Fray Juan de Ocon, a Spanish Franciscan friar who worked as a missionary in New Spain (present-day Mexico) and wrote several religious texts.
Another significant individual with the OCON surname was José María Ocon, a Spanish military officer and politician who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He served as the Governor of Caracas (present-day Venezuela) and played a role in the Spanish resistance against the French invasion during the Peninsular War.
Over the centuries, the OCON surname has continued to be present in various parts of Spain, as well as in Latin American countries with significant Spanish heritage, such as Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina. While the name may have evolved slightly in spelling or pronunciation in different regions, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ocon
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ocon 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 Ocon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.6% · 1,970
- White9.2% · 215
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 59
- Black or African American1.7% · 39
- Two or more races1.2% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ocon
Ocon 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
#13,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,337
+444 bearers (+23.5%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 1,342 places
2020
#12,661
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,329
-8 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,457 | 1,893 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,115 | 2,337 | 0.79 | +444 bearers (+23.5%) | Up 1,342 places |
| 2020 | #12,661 | 2,329 | 0.78 | -8 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 454 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 Ocon 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 | #13,115 | #12,661 | 3.5% |
| Count | 2,337 | 2,329 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.78 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ocon bearers went from 2,337 to 2,329 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 454 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,115 to #12,661.
FAQ
Ocon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ocon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,671 living Americans carry the surname Ocon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,324 residents.
How common is Ocon?
Ocon ranks #12,661 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,329 people with the surname Ocon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,671), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Ocon.
Has Ocon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ocon went from 2,337 recorded bearers to 2,329. That is a decrease of 8 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,115 to #12,661.
What does the Census say about the background of Ocon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ocon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Ocon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (1,970 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ocon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.6%), White (9.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Ocon (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 Ocon mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from the town of Ocón in La Rioja, Spain. 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 Ocon (0.78 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 people have the last name Ocon?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Ocon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.