Explore the Family Name Ojala

The meaning of Ojala

Finnish: habitational name from farms so named, from oja ‘brook, creek’ (compare Oja) + the locative suffix -la. Established as a hereditary surname mainly since the 19th century in western and northern Finland. This surname is also found in Estonia. Some characteristic forenames: Finnish Eino, Reino, Aatos, Esa, Waino, Arvi, Arvo, Erkki, Jorma, Juha, Mikko, Niilo. Scandinavian Erik, Helmer.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Ojala in the United States?

The surname Ojala has seen an increase in popularity based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, the rank of this surname was 31,389, but it rose to 30,420 by 2010. This is a change of approximately 3.09%. Moreover, the count of individuals with this surname also saw growth from 698 in 2000 to 768 in 2010, marking a 10.03% increase. However, the proportion per 100,000 people remained stagnant at 0.26.

20002010Change
Rank#31,389#30,4203.09%
Count69876810.03%
Proportion per 100k0.260.260%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ojala

On the aspect of ethnic identity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicated some shifts within the decade. The percentage of White individuals with the Ojala surname slightly decreased from 95.85% in 2000 to 93.62% in 2010. There was, however, a notable increase in the Hispanic population with this surname from 1.43% to 2.34% over the same period. For the first time in 2010, the census recorded individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicity having the Ojala surname, though the number of individuals identifying with two or more races slightly reduced.

20002010Change
White95.85%93.62%-2.33%
Hispanic1.43%2.34%63.64%
Two or More Races1.43%1.3%-9.09%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%1.17%0%
Black0%0.78%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.78%0%