Explore the Family Name Ota
The meaning of Ota
Japanese (Ōta): written 大田 ‘large rice paddy’ and 太田. It is found mostly in western Japan and the Ryūkyū Islands. Some bearers are descended from the Minamoto clan and the surname is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku. A village in Tōtōmi (now part of Shizuoka prefecture) gave its name to several families, but the village itself was originally named after a branch of the ancient Ōta clan which settled there. Compare Ohta. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Hiroshi, Kenji, Minoru, Nobuyuki, Takahiro, Tetsuo, Keiko, Makoto, Tsutomu, Hideko, Hiro, Hiroko.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Ota in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Ota experienced a dip in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 13,641st most common surname, but by 2010, it dropped to the 14,920th position, marking a decrease of 9.38%. The count of individuals with the Ota surname also saw a slight reduction during this period, going from 2,040 in 2000 to 1,984 in 2010, a decline of 2.75%. Consequently, the proportion of people with the last name Ota per 100,000 decreased by 11.84%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,641 | #14,920 | -9.38% |
| Count | 2,040 | 1,984 | -2.75% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.76 | 0.67 | -11.84% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ota
Ethnic identity data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveal that the Ota surname is predominantly associated with the Asian/Pacific Islander group, though there was a decrease in this affiliation from 79.07% in 2000 to 75.60% in 2010. There was an increase in the proportion of individuals identifying with two or more races, climbing from 7.65% in 2000 to 10.28% in 2010. There was a small decline in those identified as White, from 8.77% in 2000 to 7.96% in 2010. Interestingly, the Hispanic category saw a substantial rise of 50.61%, increasing from 3.28% in 2000 to 4.94% in 2010. Black affiliation remained relatively stable around 1.2%, while American Indian and Alaskan Native representation remained at zero.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 79.07% | 75.6% | -4.39% |
| Two or More Races | 7.65% | 10.28% | 34.38% |
| White | 8.77% | 7.96% | -9.24% |
| Hispanic | 3.28% | 4.94% | 50.61% |
| Black | 1.23% | 1.21% | -1.63% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |