2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Oxx
A variant of the surname Ock, derived from an Old English nickname for someone who was aggressive or fierce.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Oxx. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oxx 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Oxx in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oxx, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oxx
The surname Oxx traces its origins back to the Anglo-Saxon era in England, originating from the Old English word "occ" which referred to a ridge or outcrop of land. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or on such a geographic feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where an individual named Ricardus Occ is listed as a landowner in the county of Oxfordshire. This county's name itself is believed to be derived from the same root word, further reinforcing the connection between the Oxx surname and its geographic associations.
During the Middle Ages, the Oxx family appears to have been centered in the counties of Oxfordshire and Berkshire, with various spellings such as Oxe, Ox, and Okke appearing in historical records from that period. A notable bearer of this name was Sir William Oxe, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346.
As the surname evolved over time, it adopted other variants like Oxley and Oxborough, which incorporated place names from areas where Oxx families had settled. One prominent figure was Sir James Oxborough (1551-1623), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Norfolk during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the Oxx surname spread to other parts of England, including the northern counties. John Oxx (1620-1689), a successful merchant and alderman, was a respected figure in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne during this period.
As the British Empire expanded, the Oxx name also found its way to other parts of the world. Captain Thomas Oxx (1785-1847) was a naval officer who served in the East India Company and later became a colonial administrator in India.
Throughout its history, the Oxx surname has been associated with various occupations and social standings, from landed gentry to tradesmen and professionals, reflecting the diverse paths taken by its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oxx
Among Census respondents with the surname Oxx, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Oxx 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 Oxx surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 96
- Black or African American2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oxx
Oxx 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,711 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 11,711 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,303 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 Oxx 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 | #150,452 | #154,755 | -2.9% |
| Count | 109 | 102 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oxx bearers went from 109 to 102 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,755.
FAQ
Oxx surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oxx?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Oxx. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Oxx?
Oxx ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Oxx. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Oxx.
Has Oxx become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oxx went from 109 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Oxx?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oxx, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Black (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Oxx in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oxx appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Black (2.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Oxx (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 Oxx mean?
A variant of the surname Ock, derived from an Old English nickname for someone who was aggressive or fierce. 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 Oxx (0.03 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 many people have the last name Oxx?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Oxx on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.