Ochoa ( eu, Otxoa or ''Otsoa'') is a Spanishhttps://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=ochoa surname of Basque origin common throughout

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is a surname of

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

origin; it was originally a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

Medieval Spain Spain in the Middle Ages is a period in the History of Spain that began in the 5th Century following the Fall of the Western Roman Empire and ended with the beginning of the Early modern period in 1492. The history of Spain is marked by waves ...

. The name originated in the Basque Country and means "the

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

", from the Basque vocabulary word ''otso''/''otxo'' meaning "wolf" (the suffix -a in the Basque language represents the definite article). In

Standard Basque Standard Basque ( eu, euskara batua or simply ''batua'') is a standardised version of the Basque language, developed by the Basque Language Academy in the late 1960s, which nowadays is the most widely and commonly spoken Basque-language version ...

, the name is spelled ''otsoa'' or ''otxoa''. There was also a female given name ''Ochanda'' (meaning "female wolf", cf. the elegant tower in the old quarter of

Vitoria-Gasteiz es, vitoriano, vitoriana, , population_density_km2 = auto , blank_name_sec1 = Official language(s) , blank_info_sec1 = Spanish, Basque , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

named after Ochanda, proper name of the daughter of a man responsible for revamping the tower in the 16th century) and ''Ochotorena ''or'' Otxotorena'', meaning "son of Ochoto" (literally "small wolf"). The Spanish equivalent of this Basque given name was Lope, also appearing in the names of Gascon lords in the High Middle Ages.

Geographical distribution

As of 2014, 32.2% of all known bearers of the surname ''Ochoa'' were residents of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

(frequency 1:671), 12.1% of

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

(1:686), 11.8% of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

(1:5,302), 9.4% of

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

(1:556), 5.8% of

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

(1:949), 5.1% of

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

(1:547), 4.8% of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

(1:1,537), 4.8% of

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

(1:580), 3.1% of

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

(1:492), 2.5% of

(1:3,191), 1.6% of

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

(1:651), 1.4% of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

(1:1,390), 1.4% of

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

(1:1,286) and 1.3% of

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

(1:861). In

, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:3,191) in the following autonomous communities: #

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and N� ...

(1:310) #

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

(1:438) # Basque Country (1:1,261) #

Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...

(1:1,963) #

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

(1:2,024) # Castilla-La Mancha (1:2,573) #

Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munici ...

(1:2,933) In

, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:492) in the following departments:Ochoa surname distribution
/ref> # Choluteca (1:147) #

Francisco Morazán José Francisco Morazán Quesada (; born October 3, 1792 – September 15, 1842) was a Central American politician who served as president of the Federal Republic of Central America from 1830 to 1839. Before he was president of Central America h ...

(1:309) #

Olancho Olancho is the largest of all the 18 departments into which Honduras is divided. The department covers a total surface area of 24,057 km² and has an estimated 2015 population of 537,306 inhabitants. The departmental capital is Juticalpa, ...

(1:370) #

Valle Valle may refer to: * Valle (surname) Geography *"Valle", the cultural and climatic zone of the dry subtropical Interandean Valles of the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina *University of Valle, a public university in Cali, Colombia ...

(1:427)

People

Alex Ochoa Alex Ochoa (; born March 29, 1972) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball. Career Ochoa played in part of eight seasons for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Milwau ...

(born 1972), American baseball player * Andre Ochoa (born 2002), American soccer player *

Arnaldo Ochoa Arnaldo Tomás Ochoa Sánchez (1930 – July 13, 1989) was a Cuban general who was executed by the government of Fidel Castro after being found guilty of a variety of crimes including drug smuggling and treason. Allegations from a former Castro ...

(1930–1989), Cuban army general, executed for treason * Baltazar Hinojosa Ochoa (born 1963), Mexican politician, mayor of Matamoros, Tamaulipas * Blanca Fernández Ochoa (1963–2019), Spanish alpine skier * Carla Ochoa (born 1979), Chilean fashion model *

Carlos Ochoa Carlos Augusto Ochoa Mendoza (born 5 March 1978) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker. He started his career as a substitute for Necaxa in 1999, and was part of their squad that finished third in the 2000 FIFA ...

(born 1978), Mexican football (soccer) player * Carlos José Ochoa (born 1980), Venezuelan cyclist * Carlos M. Ochoa (1920–2008), Peruvian botanist *

Digna Ochoa Digna Ochoa (born Digna Ochoa y Plácido; May 15, 1964 – October 19, 2001) was a human rights lawyer in Mexico. During her career, Ochoa had represented some of Mexico's poorest constituents against government interests. On October 19, 2001, Och ...

(1964–2001), Mexican human-rights lawyer *

Dominic Ochoa Jose Madrigal Ochoa (; born August 4, 1974), better known as Dominic Ochoa, is a Filipino actor, comedian, model and member of ABS-CBN's circle of homegrown talents named Star Magic, as part of the batch 4. He is currently managed by Boy Ab ...

(born 1974), Filipino actor *

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (born 30 April 1973) is a Belgian-born international choreographer based out of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Dance background Ochoa, who is half-Colombian and half-Belgian, completed her dance training at the Royal Ballet Acad ...

(born 1973), Belgium dance choreographer *

Eduardo López Ochoa Eduardo López Ochoa y Portoundo (1877 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish general, Africanist, and prominent Freemason. He was known for most of his life as a traditional Republican, and conspired against the government of Miguel Primo de Rivera ...

(1877–1936), Spanish army general, Africanist, and Freemason * Eduardo M. Ochoa (born 1950), Argentine-American university president *

Eliades Ochoa Eliades Ochoa Bustamante (born 22 June 1946) is a Cuban guitarist and singer from Loma de la Avispa, Songo La Maya in the east of the country near Santiago de Cuba. He began playing the guitar when he was six and in 1978 he was invited to joi ...

(born 1946), Cuban guitarist and singer *

Ellen Ochoa Ellen Ochoa (born May 10, 1958) is an American engineer, former astronaut and former director of the Johnson Space Center. In 1993, Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shu ...

(born 1958), first Mexican-American astronaut *

Estevan Ochoa Estevan Ochoa (March 17, 1831 – October 27, 1888) was a Mexican-born American businessman and politician who participated in the creation of the Arizona Territory. Biography Ochoa was born to Jesus Ochoa in Chihuahua, Mexico on March 17, 183 ...

(1831–1888), Mexican-born American businessman and politician *

Eugenio de Ochoa Eugenio de Ochoa (1815–72) was a Spanish author, writer, and translator. References *Richard Eugene Chandler and Kessel Schwartz''A New History of Spanish Literature''.Louisiana State University Press, 1991. ; pp. 337–338 External ...

(1815–1872), Spanish author and translator *

Fabio Ochoa Restrepo Fabio Ochoa Restrepo (1923 – February 18, 2002), also known as Don Fabio, was the patriarch of a major Colombian drug trafficking family. A renowned horse breeder and Paso Fino enthusiast, he died of kidney failure in 2002. Biography Career ...

(a.k.a. "Don Fabio") (1923–2002), Colombian businessman, father of the

Ochoa brothers Jorge Luis Ochoa Vásquez (born 30 September 1950) is a Colombian former drug trafficker who was one of the founding members of the notorious Medellín Cartel in the late 1970s. The cartel's key members were Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder, José ...

Francisco Fernández Ochoa Francisco "Paquito" Fernández Ochoa (25 February 1950 – 6 November 2006) was a World Cup alpine ski racer from Spain. Born in Madrid and raised north of the city in Cercedilla, he was the eldest of eight children whose father ran a ski schoo ...

(1950–2006), Spanish alpine skier *

Francisco Labastida Ochoa Francisco Labastida Ochoa (; born 14 August 1942) is a Mexican economist and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), who became the first presidential candidate of his party to lose a presidential election, which h ...

(born 1942), Mexican economist and politician *

Gabriel Ochoa Uribe Gabriel Ochoa Uribe (November 20, 1929 – August 8, 2020) was a Colombian football player and manager. He won four league titles and the Copa Colombia with Millonarios as a player and fourteen league titles as a manager, making him the mo ...

(1929–2020), Colombian football player *

Gabriela Ochoa Gabriela Ochoa is a Venezuelan British computer scientist and Professor at the University of Stirling. Her research considers evolutionary algorithms and heuristic search methods. Early life and education Ochoa was born in Venezuela. Her grand ...

, Venezuelan British computer scientist * Gilda Ochoa, American professor *

Gorka Otxoa Gorka Otxoa Odriozola (born 13 January 1979 in Irún, Gipuzkoa, Spain) is a Spanish comedian and actor. Biography Otxoa began in minor roles in several TV-Series. He had an important role in the Basque series ''Goenkale'' where he performed ...

(born 1979), Spanish actor *

Guillermo Ochoa Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magaña (; born 13 July 1985), commonly referred to as Memo, is a Mexican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Serie A club U.S. Salernitana 191 ...

(a.k.a. "Paco Memo") (born 1985), Mexican football (soccer) player *

Israel Ochoa Israel Antonio Ochoa Plazas (born 26 August 1964) is a Colombian former professional racing cyclist. He was nicknamed ''El Rápido'' during his career. Major results ;1991 : 1st Stage 6 Clásico RCN ;1992 : 1st Stage 6 Vuelta al Táchira ;1993 ...

(born 1964), Colombian cyclist *

Jesús Ochoa (footballer) Jesús Ochoa (born 12 October 1981) is a Mexican professional footballer who currently plays for Los Angeles Blues 23 in the USL Premier Development League. Career Ochoa moved to the United States at a young age and was raised in Riverside, Cal ...

(born 1981), Mexican-American football (soccer) player *

Jesús Ochoa (actor) Jesús Ochoa (; born December 24, 1959) is a Mexican actor. Life and career Ochoa was born in Ures, Sonora, México, the son of Manuel Ochoa Martínez and María Cruz Domínguez de Ochoa, and a brother of Manuel Ignacio, Tobías, Juan Ángel, ...

(born 1959), Mexican actor *

, Colombian brothers Jorge, Juan David and Fabio Ochoa, former members of the Medellín drug cartel * Leire Martínez Ochoa (born 1979), Spanish-Basque singer, vocalist of

La Oreja de Van Gogh La Oreja de Van Gogh (; English: "Vincent van Gogh, Van Gogh's Ear") is a Spanish Pop music, pop band from San Sebastián, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain. The band's lyrics and compositions are written primarily by Xabi San Martín, and addition ...

after Amaia Montero's departure *

Leonorilda Ochoa Leonorilda Ochoa Pagaza (30 October 1939 – 22 May 2016) was a Mexican actress and comedian who appeared in film since the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, television, and theatre productions. She became popular as La Pecas in the sitcom ''Los Bev ...

(1939–2016), Mexican actress *

Lorena Ochoa Lorena Ochoa Reyes (; born 15 November 1981) is a Mexican former professional golfer who played on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour from 2003 to 2010. She was the top-ranked female golfer in the world for 158 consecutive and total weeks (both are LPGA ...

(born 1981), Mexican golfer *

Manuel López Ochoa Manuel López Ochoa (7 July 1933 in Torno Largo, Tabasco, Mexico – 25 October 2011 in Los Angeles, United States) was a Mexican actor. Filmography *'' El crisol'' (1964), a telenovela *''The Bandits (film)'' (1967) as Valdez *''Chucho el roto ...

(1933–2011), Mexican actor *

Mariana Ochoa Mariana Yolanda Ochoa Reyes (born February 19, 1979 in Mexico City) is a Mexican singer and actress. Music career She was a member of the musical group La Onda Vaselina, who were one of the most successful pop bands of Mexico, OV7. She stayed in ...

(born 1979), Mexican actress and singer *

Paquito Ochoa, Jr. Paquito "Jojo" Navarro Ochoa Jr. (born November 11, 1960) is a Filipino lawyer. He served as the 37th Executive Secretary of President Benigno Aquino III. He had been the city administrator of Quezon City from 2001 to 2010. Early life Ochoa to ...

(born 1960), Filipino lawyer and politician *

Richard Ochoa Richard N. Ochoa Quintero (February 14, 1984 – July 19, 2015) was a Venezuelan professional track and road racing cyclist. He was killed after being hit by a motorcycle during a training ride. Major results ;2004 : Pan American Track Cha ...

(born 1984), Venezuelan track and road cyclist * Samuel Ochoa (born 1986), Mexican football (soccer) player *

Severo Ochoa Severo Ochoa de Albornoz (; 24 September 1905 – 1 November 1993) was a Spanish physician and biochemist, and winner of the 1959 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine together with Arthur Kornberg for their discovery of "the mechanisms in th ...

(1905–1993), Spanish biochemist, Nobel Laureate, Medicine, 1959 *

Wendi Andriano Wendi Elizabeth Andriano (née Ochoa; born August 6, 1970) is an American female prisoner on death row in Arizona. She was convicted of the 2000 murder of her terminally ill husband, Joe. She is incarcerated at the Lumley Unit in the Arizona State ...

(born 1970), born Wendi Ochoa, American murderer

Fictional characters

*Pablo Belisario Ochoa, one of the five genetic fathers of

Agent 47 Agent 47 is a fictional character, the protagonist and the player character of the Hitman (franchise), ''Hitman'' video game franchise, developed by IO Interactive. He has been featured in all games of the series, as well as various spin-off medi ...

in the ''Hitman'' series * Detective Miguel Ochoa, character in the Nikki Heat novels based on ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

'' character Detective Javier Esposito. *Tony Ochoa, Mexican-American character played by

Jacob Vargas Jacob Vargas (born August 18, 1971) is a Mexican-American actor and performer. Early life Vargas was born in Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California. He was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family. He attended high sc ...

in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series '' Mr Iglesias''.

Other

* Ochoa syndrome, rare congenital syndrome associated with facial expressions and hydronephrosis

References

{{Surname links, Ochoa Spanish-language surnames Basque-language surnames