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

Olaechea, 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 Olaechea surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Olaechea in America

Olaechea is the 111426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Olaechea surname appeared 158 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 Olaechea.

We can also compare 2010 data for Olaechea 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 Olaechea

The surname OLAECHEA originates from the Basque region of Spain and France, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Basque words "ola" meaning "mill" and "etxea" meaning "house," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or owned a mill.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the Basque regions of Navarre and Gipuzkoa. One notable reference is in the municipal archives of the town of Oiartzun, where the surname appears in records dating back to the late 1500s.

In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Pedro de Olaechea served as a magistrate in the town of Hondarribia, located in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa. His name is recorded in various legal documents from that period.

During the 18th century, the surname began to spread beyond the Basque regions as members of the Olaechea family migrated to other parts of Spain and the Americas. One notable individual from this era was Juan Antonio de Olaechea, a Spanish military officer who served in the Carlist Wars in the early 19th century.

In the 19th century, the name OLAECHEA gained further recognition through the works of the Basque writer and philosopher Miguel de Olaechea, who was born in 1818 in the town of Oyarzun. His writings on Basque culture and language are considered significant contributions to the preservation of Basque heritage.

Another notable figure with the surname OLAECHEA was José María Olaechea, a Spanish businessman and philanthropist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for his contributions to education and social welfare initiatives in the Basque regions.

Throughout its history, the surname OLAECHEA has maintained a strong presence in the Basque regions of Spain and France, as well as in areas with significant Basque communities, such as parts of South America and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Olaechea

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

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

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

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