what does the name ocampo mean

Question

My friend's last name is ocampo. What does it mean?

Proper capitalization and punctuation are fairly common on here... ;-) - cristalino, Aug 5, 2011

Answer 1

I dont know much about that area of spain...but campo usually refers to "the fields" or an agricultural region...might be an area that is historically agricultural???

Thanks for your help. I discovered it refers to the northern most part of Spain. Have great day, seeya! - keithflauer, Aug 5, 2011

Answer 2

I think that should say a place in "Galicia", which is in northwest Spain.

Lugo is a province in northwest Spain in the community of Galicia, Spain.

Very thorough, SDS... like pulling out the big guns! :) - cristalino, Aug 5, 2011

And the Galicians have Gallic (Irish) ancestry. This makes so much sense "O' campo," of the country. - JoyceM, Aug 5, 2011

Gracias, Cristalino. And, yes, Joyce -- muy interesante :) - SonrisaDelSol, Aug 5, 2011

Answer 3

Ocampo is a Mexican-Irish name for someone who comes from the country. The apostrophe was lost along the way. Similar to Obama.

During the Mexican War of Independence from Spain, some of the many Irish mercenaries who fought for Spain stayed in Mexico. For this reason it is not uncommon to find Irish names in parts of Mexico, especially the Bajio, "the cradle of independence."

Bet you never knew that!

(The second paragraph is actually true.)

Cheers,

J