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

Orochena, 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 Orochena surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orochena in America

Orochena is the 144141st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orochena surname appeared 115 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 Orochena.

The history of the last name Orochena

The surname Orochena originates from the Basque region of Spain and France, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to derive from the Basque words "oro" meaning "gold" and "chena" meaning "place" or "locality," suggesting a connection to a place associated with gold mining or gold resources.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex de Roda, a 10th-century cartulary from the monastery of Santa María de Roda in Aragón, Spain. The document mentions an individual named Fortún Orochena, who owned land in the village of Roda de Isábena.

Another historical reference to the name appears in the Becerro Antiguo de Leyre, a 12th-century document from the monastery of San Salvador de Leyre in Navarre, Spain. It records a nobleman named García Orochena, who granted land to the monastery in the year 1132.

During the 13th century, the name Orochena was associated with the village of Orochena (now called Orochén) in the Pyrenees region of Navarre. This village likely took its name from the Orochena family, who may have been landowners or prominent figures in the area.

One notable individual bearing the Orochena surname was Juan de Orochena (c. 1460-1520), a Spanish architect and stonemason who worked on several important projects, including the Cathedral of Santa María in Pamplona and the Church of San Miguel in Estella.

In the 16th century, a branch of the Orochena family migrated to the Americas and settled in various regions of New Spain (present-day Mexico and Central America). One member of this branch was Diego de Orochena (c. 1550-1620), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in expeditions to the Gulf of California and the Pacific Northwest.

Other historical figures with the Orochena surname include:

• Pedro de Orochena (c. 1580-1650), a Spanish military engineer who oversaw the construction of fortifications in Cartagena de Indias (present-day Colombia).
• Ignacio de Orochena (c. 1670-1740), a Spanish priest and missionary who worked in the Philippines and is credited with establishing several churches and schools in the region.
• María Josefa de Orochena (c. 1720-1780), a Spanish noblewoman and philanthropist known for her contributions to educational institutions and charitable organizations in Madrid.

Throughout its history, the surname Orochena has maintained its connection to the Basque region, and variations in spelling, such as Orocheno, Orocheno, and Orocheña, have also been recorded.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orochena

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!