Ocasio is a Spanish surname found mostly in Puerto Rico. It is an archaic adjective form of the Spanish word “ocaso”, from the latin “occasus”, which refers to the last phase of the existence of something, strictly linked to its downfall or decadence. The suffix -io derives from the latin suffixes -ium and -ius and either denotes a sense of place and origin or alludes to the condition of being characteristic of the word it accompanies. For example: “Ocasio” refers to “ocaso” just as “sombrío” refers to “sombra”, “amazonio” to “Amazonas” or “ordinario” to “orden”. Alternatively, the suffix -io is used in the construction of abstract nouns as in the case of the verb “contagiar” which becomes “contagio” or the noun “señor” which becomes “señorío” and it is also present in the names of chemical elements like “potasio”, “germanio”, “calcio”, “helio”, “silicio”, etc. The noun “ocaso” may also refer to the sunset, the sun going down or the end of daylight. According to certain scholars, “Ocasio” could ostensibly derive from the Spanish word "ocasión" meaning "occasion", but its use as a Spanish surname is rather unclear and if such were the instance, it would share meaning with the word “ocaso” anyways, as the etymology of the word occasion is traced back to the latin words ob- ‘towards’ + cadere ‘to fall’, which means towards falling, leading into death or preceding destruction.[1] Notable people with the surname include:

References

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  1. ^ Patrick, Hanks (2003). Dictionary of American Family Names 3-Volume Set. Oxford University Press. p. 3.