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

Jock, 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 Jock surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jock in America

Jock is the 19053rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jock surname appeared 1,429 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 Jock.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jock 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 Jock

The surname Jock has its origins in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland, where it emerged in the 12th century as a nickname derived from the personal name Jack, itself a diminutive form of the name John. The name was initially spelled as Jok or Jokk in early records.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Jock can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. In this document, the name appears as "Thomas Jok de Stirling."

During the 14th century, the surname began to spread beyond the Scottish Borders, with records showing Jocks residing in various parts of Scotland, including Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Aberdeen. In the 15th century, the spelling Jock became more standardized, although variations like Jokk and Jokke were still seen occasionally.

One notable bearer of the surname was Sir Adam Jock, a Scottish knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Another early Jock of note was John Jock, a merchant from Aberdeen who was granted a coat of arms in 1492 by the Lord Lyon King of Arms.

In the 16th century, the surname began to appear in England, likely due to Scottish migration. One of the earliest recorded English Jocks was William Jock, born in 1548 in Northumberland, who was a member of the King's Guard during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Other notable historical figures with the surname Jock include:

1. Alexander Jock (1580-1644), a Scottish minister and author of religious works.
2. Robert Jock (1620-1680), a Scottish soldier who fought in the English Civil War and later served as a member of Parliament.
3. Margaret Jock (1680-1755), a Scottish poet and songwriter known for her ballads and folk songs.
4. James Jock (1725-1790), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who founded several schools and hospitals in Edinburgh.
5. David Jock (1810-1892), a Scottish explorer and naturalist who conducted expeditions in Africa and Asia.

The surname Jock has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Jockston in East Lothian and Jockville in Lanarkshire, suggesting its widespread presence in the region over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jock

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

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

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

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