2000
#9,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,236
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Enoch
Derived from a biblical place name, possibly meaning "initiated" or "dedicated" in Hebrew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,770 Americans carry the last name Enoch. That puts it at #9,464 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,916 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Enoch 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 Enoch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,916
Census rank
#9,464
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,288 bearers of the surname Enoch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9464th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Enoch, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Enoch
The surname Enoch is of Hebrew origin, derived from the Biblical name Enoch, which comes from the Hebrew word "hanokh" meaning "dedicated" or "initiated." The name first appeared in the Book of Genesis, referring to Enoch, the son of Cain and the father of Methuselah.
The surname Enoch has its roots in ancient Israel, where it was likely used as a personal name before becoming a hereditary surname. It began to appear as a surname in England and other parts of Europe during the medieval period, particularly after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
Historically, the surname Enoch has been associated with Jewish communities in various parts of Europe. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval English and Jewish records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Enoch" and "Enok."
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Enoch was Jacob Enoch, a Jewish scholar who lived in the 13th century. He was known for his work on Hebrew grammar and the Kabbalah.
In the 16th century, the name Enoch appeared in the records of the Dutch town of Middelburg, where a family of Sephardic Jews with the surname Enoch resided. Some members of this family later settled in England and the Americas.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Enoch was found in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Somerset. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. John Enoch (1608-1678), an English Puritan minister and author.
2. Robert Enoch (1721-1797), an English clockmaker and inventor from Worcestershire.
3. William Enoch (1773-1857), an English portrait painter and engraver.
4. James Enoch (1791-1862), a British coal mine owner and philanthropist from Staffordshire.
5. Ebenezer Enoch (1827-1891), an English Wesleyan Methodist minister and author from Gloucestershire.
The surname Enoch also has a presence in other parts of the world, including the United States, where it was likely brought by early English and Jewish settlers. While the name has maintained its Hebrew roots, it has been adopted by various cultures and communities over the centuries, reflecting its enduring relevance and significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Enoch
Among Census respondents with the surname Enoch, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Enoch 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 Enoch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.9% · 1,608
- Black or African American36.7% · 1,206
- Two or more races5.9% · 193
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Enoch
Enoch 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
#9,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,394
+158 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 313 places
2020
#9,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,288
-106 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,265 | 3,236 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,578 | 3,394 | 1.15 | +158 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 313 places |
| 2020 | #9,464 | 3,288 | 1.10 | -106 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 114 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 Enoch 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 | #9,578 | #9,464 | 1.2% |
| Count | 3,394 | 3,288 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.10 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Enoch bearers went from 3,394 to 3,288 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,578 to #9,464.
FAQ
Enoch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Enoch?
Name Census estimates that about 3,770 living Americans carry the surname Enoch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,916 residents.
How common is Enoch?
Enoch ranks #9,464 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,288 people with the surname Enoch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,770), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Enoch.
Has Enoch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Enoch went from 3,394 recorded bearers to 3,288. That is a decrease of 106 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,578 to #9,464.
What does the Census say about the background of Enoch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Enoch, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.9%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Enoch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.9% (1,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Enoch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.9%), Black (36.7%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Enoch (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 Enoch mean?
Derived from a biblical place name, possibly meaning "initiated" or "dedicated" in Hebrew. 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 Enoch (1.10 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 common is the surname Enoch?
See how many people have the surname Enoch on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.