Ochoa

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Ochoa is a name of Hispanic origin.

[edit] Surname origins

Ochoa was originally a given name in medieval Spain. It originated in the Basque Country and meant the wolf (from the Basque word otsoa). There was also a female given name Ochanda. The Spanish version of this Basque given name was Lope.

Ochoa became a surname as a patronymic. It does not have the -ez suffix as do other Spanish patronymics due to the Basque origin of the name. Lope for example became a surname as Lopez.

From the Basque Country it spread to the rest of Spain, Portugal and then to the Americas. In modern Basque the surname is spelled as Otxoa. About a 25% of the Spanish Ochoa's still live in the Basque area of Spain (Basque Country and Navarre).

[edit] Persons

The name may refer to:

• Alex Ochoa (1972–), American baseball player
• Angel Ochoa (1989–), Mexican football player
• Arnaldo Ochoa (1930–1989), Cuban army general, executed for treason
• Baltazar Hinojosa Ochoa (1930–), Mexican politician, mayor of Matamoros, Tamaulipas
• Carlos Ochoa (1978–), Mexican football player
• Digna Ochoa (1964–2001), Mexican human-rights lawyer
• Eduardo López Ochoa (1877–1936), Spanish army general, Africanist, and Freemason
• Eliades Ochoa (1946–), Cuban guitarisst and singer
• Ellen Ochoa (1958–), American astronaut
• Eugenio de Ochoa (1815–1872), Spanish author and translator
• Fabio Ochoa Restrepo (a.k.a. "Don Fabio") (1923–2002), Colombian businessman, father of the Ochoa brothers
• Francisco Fernández Ochoa (1950–2006), Spanish alpine skier
• Francisco Labastida Ochoa (1942–), Mexican economist and politician
• Guillermo Ochoa (a.k.a. "Paco Memo") (1985–), Mexican football player
• Javier Otxoa (1974–), Spanish cyclist
• Jesús Ochoa (1981–), Mexican-American football player
• Lorena Ochoa (1981–), Mexican golfer
• Mariana Ochoa (1979–), Mexican actress and singer
• Maynor Ochoa (1991-), Guatemalan soccer player
• Ochoa brothers, former members of the Medellin drug cartel
• Ricardo R. Ochoa (1970-), Attorney
• Severo Ochoa (1905–1993), Spanish-American biochemist, Nobel Prize winner
• Scott Ochoa (1975-), American businessman and Professional Business Coach

[edit] Other

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