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

Jok, 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 Jok surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jok in America

Jok is the 132206th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jok surname appeared 128 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 Jok.

The history of the last name Jok

The surname Jok is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period, possibly derived from a Low German word meaning "yoke" or a nickname for someone who made or repaired yokes for farm animals. It is thought to have emerged as a occupational surname in the 12th or 13th century, though written records from that time are scarce.

One of the earliest known references to the name Jok appears in a 1437 registry from the town of Mönchengladbach, which mentions a family by the name of Jocken or Jocke living in the area. Similar spellings like Jockel and Jocke were common in various German regions during the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Jok surname is also found in some Dutch records from the 1600s, likely due to migration between the Netherlands and nearby German territories. A notable example is Pieter Jok, a merchant from Amsterdam who was born around 1625 and traded extensively with ports in the Baltic Sea region.

In the 19th century, the Jok name spread more widely across Europe as industrialization and improved transportation allowed for greater mobility. Hans Jok (1812-1879) was a German blacksmith and metalworker who settled in the Polish city of Poznań and established a successful foundry business that employed several generations of his descendants.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Anna Jok (1886-1963), a Polish activist and educator who campaigned for women's rights and founded several schools in the Poznań area. She was arrested and imprisoned by the German authorities during World War II for her involvement in the Polish resistance movement.

While not as numerous as some other German surnames, the Jok name has maintained a presence in various parts of Central Europe over the centuries. Other notable individuals include Karl Jok (1896-1972), an Austrian painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraits, and Sigmund Jok (1921-2003), a Czech historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Bohemia and Moravia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jok

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

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 Jok 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.

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

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

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