Rocha
What is the origin of the last name Rocha?
Meaning and origin
The last name Rocha originates from Portugal, with roots in the medieval Galician-Portuguese language. The surname Rocha can be found in various Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as among Portuguese diaspora populations around the world.
The longer story
The last name Rocha has its origins in the Portuguese language, specifically in the region known as Galicia, which is located in northwestern Spain. The name can also be found in Portugal, Brazil, and other Portuguese-speaking countries. It is believed to be a toponymic surname, derived from a geographic feature.
This theory points to the possibility that the surname originally referred to individuals who lived near or worked with rocks.
Another hypothesis proposes that the name Rocha may have originated from a location called "Rocha," which no longer exists or remains unidentified. This theory suggests that individuals who hailed from this particular place adopted Rocha as their surname to denote their origin.
Surname origins are rarely settled: one spelling can have several sources, and families often took a name for reasons nobody wrote down. Check it against the sources below before you rely on it.
#613
Rocha was the 613th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 55,251 people, about 19 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Surnames like Rocha
Names it is linked with, then names with the same origin and a similar standing.
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Rocha is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.