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

Onochie, 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 Onochie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Onochie in America

Onochie is the 138304th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Onochie surname appeared 121 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 Onochie.

The history of the last name Onochie

The surname Onochie has its origins traced back to Nigeria, specifically the Igbo ethnic group. It is believed to have emerged during the late 15th or early 16th century, when surnames became more widely adopted in the region.

Onochie is thought to be derived from the Igbo words 'ono' meaning 'source' or 'origin' and 'chi' referring to the personal spiritual force or guardian spirit. Thus, the name could be interpreted as 'source of the guardian spirit' or 'origin of the personal spiritual force'.

Early records of the name are scarce, as written documentation was limited in pre-colonial West Africa. However, some historians suggest that variations of the name, such as Onochiee or Onocheye, may have appeared in oral histories and traditional storytelling of the Igbo people.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the Onochie surname was Nwakamma Onochie, a prominent trader and community leader in the village of Ogidi in the late 18th century. Another notable figure was Nwakamma Onochie, a skilled weaver and artist who lived in the town of Awka in the early 19th century.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, as more written records became available, the Onochie name appeared in various colonial documents and registers. This included individuals such as Okwuchukwu Onochie, a respected elder and advisor to the British colonial authorities in the 1870s, and Chukwuemeka Onochie, a teacher and community organizer in the 1920s.

In more recent times, the Onochie surname has been carried by several notable individuals, including Lauretta Onochie, a Nigerian politician and social media personality born in the 1960s, and Chinedu Onochie, a Nigerian-American entrepreneur and author born in the 1970s.

Overall, the Onochie surname has a rich cultural heritage rooted in the Igbo tradition of Nigeria, and its meaning reflects the importance of spiritual forces and personal guardianship in the belief systems of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Onochie

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

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 Onochie 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.

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

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

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