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

Ota, 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 Ota surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ota in America

Ota is the 14920th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ota surname appeared 1,984 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ota.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ota 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 Ota

The surname Ota has its origins in Japan, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Japanese word "ota," which translates to "rice paddy" or "field." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who lived or worked in rice paddies or agricultural areas.

One of the earliest known occurrences of the name Ota can be found in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), when it was recorded in a document from the Kamakura shogunate. This document mentioned an individual named Ota Nobunaga, who was a samurai and retainer of the powerful Hojo clan.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Ota family rose to prominence as influential daimyo (feudal lords) in the Kanto region. The most notable member of this family was Ota Dokan, who lived from 1432 to 1486. He was a skilled military strategist and played a crucial role in the power struggles between the Ashikaga shogunate and the Uesugi clan.

In the Sengoku period (1467-1615), the Ota clan continued to be a prominent force in Japanese politics and warfare. One of the most famous figures bearing the Ota name was Ota Nobunaga (1558-1582), a powerful daimyo who was instrumental in the unification of Japan under the Shogunate.

Another notable individual with the surname Ota was Ota Sukemasa (1556-1623), a skilled calligrapher and poet who served under Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Ota family continued to hold positions of power and influence in various domains across Japan. One prominent figure from this era was Ota Tan (1739-1803), a scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of Confucianism and moral philosophy.

Throughout its long history, the surname Ota has been associated with various place names and localities in Japan. Some examples include Ota City in Gunma Prefecture, Ota Ward in Tokyo, and Ota Village in Okayama Prefecture. These place names likely derived from the same root word as the surname, reflecting the agricultural and rural origins of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ota

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

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

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

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