2000
#35,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 593
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Bocook
A variant spelling of the surname "Baucook" of English origin meaning "baker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 698 Americans carry the last name Bocook. That puts it at #39,043 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 491,052 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bocook 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.
Bearers in the US
698
1 in 491,052
Census rank
#39,043
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
609
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 609 bearers of the surname Bocook in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39043rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bocook, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bocook
The surname BOCOOK is of English origin, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "boc," meaning "beech tree," and the word "cook," which referred to a professional cook or baker. This suggests that the name was likely given as an occupational surname to someone who worked as a cook or baker in an area where beech trees were abundant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname BOCOOK can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Whitby, Yorkshire, where a Thomas Bocook was listed as a resident in 1587. The surname also appears in the records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in 1623, with the mention of a Robert Bocook from Kent.
In the 17th century, the surname BOCOOK was primarily concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire, Kent, and Essex. During this period, variations in spelling were common, with the name appearing as Bocook, Boccook, and Bockook in various records.
Notable individuals with the surname BOCOOK include John Bocook (1644-1718), a prominent landowner and magistrate in the village of Rolvenden, Kent. Another notable figure was William Bocook (1705-1779), a respected merchant and ship owner from Hull, Yorkshire, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade.
In the 18th century, the surname BOCOOK began to spread to other parts of England, with records showing families bearing the name in counties such as Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Gloucestershire. One notable individual from this period was Mary Bocook (1742-1810), a philanthropist from Bristol who established several charity schools for underprivileged children.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many BOCOOK families migrated to urban centers in search of employment opportunities. One notable figure from this era was Samuel Bocook (1812-1887), a successful industrialist from Manchester who owned several textile mills and played a significant role in the city's economic development.
While the surname BOCOOK is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and reflects the diverse occupations and geographic locations of those who bore this distinctive name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bocook
Among Census respondents with the surname Bocook, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bocook 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 Bocook surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 569
- Two or more races3.8% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 10
- Black or African American0.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bocook
Bocook 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
#35,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 642
+49 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 701 places
2020
#39,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 609
-33 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 3,947 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,797 | 593 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,096 | 642 | 0.22 | +49 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 701 places |
| 2020 | #39,043 | 609 | 0.20 | -33 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 3,947 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 Bocook 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 | #35,096 | #39,043 | -11.2% |
| Count | 642 | 609 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.20 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bocook bearers went from 642 to 609 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 3,947 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,096 to #39,043.
FAQ
Bocook surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bocook?
Name Census estimates that about 698 living Americans carry the surname Bocook. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 491,052 residents.
How common is Bocook?
Bocook ranks #39,043 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 609 people with the surname Bocook. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (698), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bocook.
Has Bocook become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bocook went from 642 recorded bearers to 609. That is a decrease of 33 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,096 to #39,043.
What does the Census say about the background of Bocook?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bocook, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Bocook in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (569 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bocook appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Bocook (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 Bocook mean?
A variant spelling of the surname "Baucook" of English origin meaning "baker". 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 Bocook (0.20 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 Bocook?
Want to know how many people have the last name Bocook? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.