2000
#2,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,369
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.96
Uncommon Last name
Bock
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname referring to a male goat or derived from a short form of the name Burckhard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,664 Americans carry the last name Bock. That puts it at #2,746 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bock 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 Bock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,374
Census rank
#2,746
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,788 bearers of the surname Bock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2746th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bock
The surname Bock is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "boc" meaning a male goat or ram. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who exhibited traits reminiscent of a goat, such as a stubborn or aggressive personality. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational name for a goat-herd or someone who worked with goats or rams.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Bock can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hartmann Bock, a merchant who lived in the city of Cologne in the late 13th century.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name Bock appeared in numerous historical records and documents across Germany. In the 1381 tax rolls of the city of Augsburg, several individuals with the surname Bock are mentioned, indicating the presence of the name in that region.
One notable individual with the surname Bock was Hieronymus Bock, a German botanist and physician who lived from 1498 to 1554. He was also known as Hieronymus Tragus, and his works on plant life and herbal medicine were highly influential during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Karl August Bock, a German architect who was active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Altes Museum.
In the 19th century, the surname Bock was also found in other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Scandinavia. One notable Dutch figure with this name was Jan Bock, a painter who lived from 1833 to 1915 and was known for his landscapes and seascapes.
The name Bock has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Bockenheim, a district in Frankfurt am Main, and Böckingen, a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg. These place names likely derived from the German word "boc" or variations of it, further emphasizing the name's connection to goats or rams.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bock
Among Census respondents with the surname Bock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bock 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 Bock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 11,714
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 461
- Two or more races3.1% · 392
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 123
- Black or African American0.5% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bock
Bock 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
#2,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,382
+13 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 4.54
Rank movement Down 215 places
2020
#2,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,788
-594 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 4.28
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,476 | 13,369 | 4.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,691 | 13,382 | 4.54 | +13 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 215 places |
| 2020 | #2,746 | 12,788 | 4.28 | -594 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 55 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 Bock 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 | #2,691 | #2,746 | -2.0% |
| Count | 13,382 | 12,788 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.54 | 4.28 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bock bearers went from 13,382 to 12,788 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,691 to #2,746.
FAQ
Bock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bock?
Name Census estimates that about 14,664 living Americans carry the surname Bock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,374 residents.
How common is Bock?
Bock ranks #2,746 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.28 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 12,788 people with the surname Bock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,664), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.28 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 Bock.
Has Bock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bock went from 13,382 recorded bearers to 12,788. That is a decrease of 594 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,691 to #2,746.
What does the Census say about the background of Bock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Bock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (11,714 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Bock (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 Bock mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname referring to a male goat or derived from a short form of the name Burckhard. 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 Bock (4.28 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 have the last name Bock?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Bock at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.