2000
#20,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Onate
A Spanish surname derived from a place name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,105 Americans carry the last name Onate. That puts it at #15,382 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Onate 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
2.1K
1 in 162,829
Census rank
#15,382
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,836 bearers of the surname Onate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15382nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Onate, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.5%) and White (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Onate
The surname Onate originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Basque word "ona," meaning "good" or "fertile," and likely referred to a person who lived in a fertile or prosperous area. The name may also be linked to the town of Onate in the Basque region of Spain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Onate surname appears in a document from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain, dating back to the 11th century. This document mentions an individual named Sancho Onate, suggesting the name's existence during that time.
In the 16th century, Juan de Onate, a Spanish explorer and colonial governor, played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of New Mexico. Born in 1550 in Zacatecas, Mexico, he led an expedition to establish the first permanent European settlement in New Mexico in 1598, founding the colony of New Mexico.
Another notable individual with the Onate surname was Gaspar de Onate, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Juan de Onate on his expedition to New Mexico in the late 16th century. He served as Juan's second-in-command and played a crucial role in the establishment of the colony.
In the 17th century, Francisco de Onate, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator, served as the governor of the Philippines from 1670 to 1677. He was born in Mexico City in 1629 and played a significant role in the Spanish colonial administration in the Philippines.
During the 19th century, José María Onatre y Pascual, a Spanish writer and journalist, gained recognition for his literary works. Born in 1808 in Valencia, Spain, he wrote several novels and plays that explored social and political themes of his time.
Over the centuries, the Onate surname has undergone various spellings, including Oñate, Onate, Onati, and Onatea, reflecting regional variations and linguistic adaptations. Despite these variations, the name's origins can be traced back to its Basque roots and the fertile regions of Spain where it first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Onate
Among Census respondents with the surname Onate, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.5%) and White (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Onate 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 Onate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.9% · 1,577
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.5% · 137
- White5.7% · 105
- Two or more races0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Onate
Onate 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
#15,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,838
+611 bearers (+49.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 4,358 places
2020
#15,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,836
-2 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 451 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,191 | 1,227 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,833 | 1,838 | 0.62 | +611 bearers (+49.8%) | Up 4,358 places |
| 2020 | #15,382 | 1,836 | 0.61 | -2 bearers (-0.1%) | Up 451 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 Onate 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 | #15,833 | #15,382 | 2.8% |
| Count | 1,838 | 1,836 | -0.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.61 | -0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Onate bearers went from 1,838 to 1,836 (-0.1% change). The surname moved up 451 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,833 to #15,382.
FAQ
Onate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Onate?
Name Census estimates that about 2,105 living Americans carry the surname Onate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,829 residents.
How common is Onate?
Onate ranks #15,382 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,836 people with the surname Onate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,105), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Onate.
Has Onate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Onate went from 1,838 recorded bearers to 1,836. That is a decrease of 2 (-0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,833 to #15,382.
What does the Census say about the background of Onate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Onate, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.5%) and White (5.7%). 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 Onate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (1,577 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Onate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.5%), White (5.7%). 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 Onate (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 Onate mean?
A Spanish surname derived from a place name or location. 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 Onate (0.61 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 Onate?
You can see how common the surname Onate is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.