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

Horrocks, 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 Horrocks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Horrocks in America

Horrocks is the 12072nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Horrocks surname appeared 2,583 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Horrocks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Horrocks 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 Horrocks

The surname Horrocks is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "horu" meaning dirt or mud, and "occa" referring to a ridge or hill. It is believed to have originated in the Lancashire region of England during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Horrocks can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332, where it appears as "Horroks". This suggests that the name had already been established in the area by the 14th century.

The Horrocks name is also mentioned in the Register of the Gild of the Holy Trinity in Coventry from 1392, indicating that members of the family had migrated to other parts of England by the late Middle Ages.

In the 16th century, the Horrocks surname appears in various records, including the Feet of Fines for Lancashire from 1557, where it is spelled "Horrokes". This document refers to land transactions involving individuals with the Horrocks name.

One notable individual with the Horrocks surname was Thomas Horrocks (c. 1530-1589), a Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for his religious beliefs.

In the 17th century, the Horrocks family continued to be prominent in Lancashire. John Horrocks (1619-1677) was a mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of the transit of Venus across the sun.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Horrocks name spread further throughout England and beyond. Samuel Horrocks (1768-1848) was a successful textile manufacturer and mill owner in Preston, Lancashire, who played a role in the industrialization of the region.

Another notable figure was James Horrocks (1819-1887), a British army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in battle.

Peter Horrocks (1942-2019) was a British journalist and television executive who served as the director of the BBC World Service and the head of the BBC's newsroom in later years.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the Horrocks surname, which has its roots in the medieval Lancashire region of England and has since spread across the English-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Horrocks

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

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 Horrocks 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 Horrocks 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 Horrocks was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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