Find out how popular the last name Book is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Book.

Book, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Book surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Book in America

Book is the 5471st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Book surname appeared 6,356 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Book.

We can also compare 2010 data for Book to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Book

The surname BOOK is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "boc," which means a written document or book. It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a scribe, scholar, or someone who was involved in the writing or selling of books during the medieval period.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname BOOK can be traced back to the late 12th century in various regions of England, such as Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Roger le Boc, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191.

In the 13th century, the surname BOOK was found in several historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed individuals such as Reginald Boc in Oxfordshire and William le Boc in Somerset. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England compiled by order of William the Conqueror in 1086, did not contain any direct references to the surname BOOK, but it did mention several place names that may have influenced the development of this surname, such as Bocland and Bockenhale.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname BOOK continued to appear in various records across England. Notable individuals from this period include John Boke, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 14th century, and Robert Booke, a member of the Guild of St. George in Norwich in the early 15th century.

In the 16th century, one of the most famous bearers of the surname BOOK was John Booke (c. 1510-1550), an English Protestant reformer and writer who was executed for his religious beliefs during the reign of Queen Mary I. Another notable figure from this period was Barnabe Barnes (1569-1609), an English poet and writer who published several works under the pseudonym Barnabe Book.

As the centuries progressed, the surname BOOK spread across various regions of England and beyond. Other notable individuals with this surname include George Henry Book (1829-1919), a British architect and surveyor who worked on several notable projects in London, and Winfield Scott Book (1863-1952), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Book

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Book.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Book was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Book has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Book was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Book, please contact us.

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