2000
#2,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,550
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.65
Uncommon Last name
Adcock
From the Old English personal name Eadcock, meaning "wealthy" or "fortunate."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,450 Americans carry the last name Adcock. That puts it at #3,000 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,484 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adcock surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Adcock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,484
Census rank
#3,000
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,729 bearers of the surname Adcock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3000th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adcock
The surname Adcock is of English origin, dating back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "ad" meaning "at" and "cocc" meaning "hill or small hill". The name was likely given to someone who lived near a small hill or hillock.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dating back to 1273, which mentions a William Adecok. The Hundredorum Rolls, also known as the Hundred Rolls, were a census-like survey conducted in England during the reign of King Edward I.
The name Adcock is also believed to have appeared in the famous Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. However, the spelling in this early record is not entirely clear.
During the medieval period, the name was also spelled in various ways, such as Addecok, Addecoke, and Adecok, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common at the time.
Notable individuals with the surname Adcock include John Adcock (1587-1647), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1644 to 1647. Another prominent figure was Sir Frank Adcock (1886-1968), a British classical scholar and historian who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Roman history.
Other notable individuals with the surname include:
1. Joseph Adcock (1713-1793), an English printer and typefounder.
2. William Adcock (1919-1994), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.
3. Rachel Adcock (born 1984), a Canadian actress known for her roles in television series like "The Killing" and "True Justice".
4. Sir John Adcock (1610-1670), an English politician and landowner who served as a member of Parliament during the English Civil War.
5. William Adcock (1793-1865), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adcock
Among Census respondents with the surname Adcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Adcock bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Adcock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 10,724
- Two or more races3.7% · 436
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 275
- Black or African American1.1% · 132
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 66
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adcock
Adcock appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,599
+49 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 4.27
Rank movement Down 214 places
2020
#3,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,729
-870 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 3.92
Rank movement Down 139 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,647 | 12,550 | 4.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,861 | 12,599 | 4.27 | +49 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 214 places |
| 2020 | #3,000 | 11,729 | 3.92 | -870 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 139 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Adcock surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,861 | #3,000 | -4.9% |
| Count | 12,599 | 11,729 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.27 | 3.92 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adcock bearers went from 12,599 to 11,729 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 139 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,861 to #3,000.
FAQ
Adcock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adcock?
Name Census estimates that about 13,450 living Americans carry the surname Adcock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,484 residents.
How common is Adcock?
Adcock ranks #3,000 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,729 people with the surname Adcock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,450), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Adcock.
Has Adcock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adcock went from 12,599 recorded bearers to 11,729. That is a decrease of 870 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,861 to #3,000.
What does the Census say about the background of Adcock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adcock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Adcock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (10,724 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adcock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Adcock (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Adcock mean?
From the Old English personal name Eadcock, meaning "wealthy" or "fortunate." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Adcock (3.92 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Adcock?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Adcock on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.