Find out how popular the last name Cloak is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cloak.
A surname derived from the archaic English word meaning a garment that hangs loosely from the shoulders.
Cloak, 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 Cloak surname is from the 2010 census data.
Cloak is the 78821st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Cloak surname appeared 242 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cloak.
We can also compare 2010 data for Cloak 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 78821 | 72905 | 7.80% |
Count | 242 | 248 | -2.45% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.08 | 0.09 | -11.76% |
The surname CLOAK is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'cloc' meaning a bell or a cloak. It first appeared in records during the 13th century, with early spellings including Clok, Cloke, and Cloake.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Feet of Fines for Essex, a legal document dated 1292, which mentions a John Cloke. The name is also present in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301, listing a Robert Clok.
In the 14th century, the surname is found in various records across England, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327, which lists a Richard Cloke. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mention a John Cloke of Cambridgeshire.
The CLOAK surname may have originated from occupation or location. It could have been given to someone who worked as a maker or seller of cloaks, or it may have derived from a place name containing the word 'cloak' or a related term.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Cloke (c. 1350 - 1415), a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London during the late 14th and early 15th centuries.
Another notable figure was Sir William Cloke (c. 1460 - 1537), a Member of Parliament and Sheriff of London in the early 16th century. He was involved in the construction of the famous Cloak Lane in London, which may have been named after him or his family.
In the 17th century, Edward Cloak (1621 - 1677) was an English clergyman and author, known for his works on theology and philosophy.
During the 18th century, John Cloak (1743 - 1819) was a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
In the 19th century, Thomas Cloak (1818 - 1896) was a prominent Australian politician and landowner, serving as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cloak.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cloak was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 92.98% | 225 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 2.89% | 7 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 2.07% | 5 |
Hispanic Origin | (S)% | (S) |
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 Cloak has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 92.98% | 95.16% | -2.32% |
Black | 2.89% | 3.63% | -22.70% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | 0.00% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | 2.07% | (S)% | (S)% |
Hispanic | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
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 Cloak was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cloak, please contact us.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/cloak-surname-popularity/">Cloak last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Cloak last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 12, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/cloak-surname-popularity/.
"Cloak last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/cloak-surname-popularity/. Accessed 12 June, 2025
Cloak last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/cloak-surname-popularity/.
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