The ocarina is an ancient instrument. The first known ocarina-like instrument appear about 12000 years ago. Ocarinas shaped like birds and animals could also be found in India as early as 5000 BC. In South and Central America, the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas all developed and performed on clay ocarinas which were often shaped like birds or animals. Ocarina-type instruments have been of particular importance in Chinese and Mesoamerican cultures. For the Chinese, the instrument played an important role in their long history of song and dance. The ocarina has similar features to the Xun (塤), another important Chinese instrument. In Japan, the traditional ocarina is known as the tsuchibue (kanji: 土笛; literally "earthen flute"). Different expeditions to Mesoamerica, including the one conducted by Cortés, resulted in the introduction of the ocarina to the courts of Europe. Both the Mayans and Aztecs produced versions of the ocarina, but it was the Aztecs who brought Europe the song and dance that accompanied the ocarina. The ocarina went on to become popular in European communities as a toy instrument.

In 1998, the ocarina was featured in the Nintendo 64 video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, it created an interest in popular media for gamers and others. The ocarina is also featured in other games like the The Legend of Zelda series.