2000
#6,698
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,652
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.72
Rare Last name
Kwok
A Chinese surname meaning "country" or "nation," or referring to a person from the ancient state of Guo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,605 Americans carry the last name Kwok. That puts it at #5,791 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,893 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kwok 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 Kwok with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.6K
1 in 51,893
Census rank
#5,791
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,760 bearers of the surname Kwok in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5791st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwok, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and White (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kwok
The surname Kwok originates from China, where it has been recorded since ancient times. It is a romanized spelling of the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese characters 郭, which can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). These characters are believed to have derived from an old Chinese word meaning "outskirts" or "suburban area".
In early Chinese historical records and manuscripts, different variations of the Kwok surname can be found, such as Gok, Kok, and Kook. These variations arose due to the different dialects and regional pronunciations across China. The Kwok surname is particularly prevalent in the Guangdong and Fujian provinces of southern China.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kwok surname dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), when a scholar named Kwok Yuen-fung (607-672) served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Another notable figure was Kwok Ching-tung (1032-1085), a renowned poet and calligrapher during the Song Dynasty.
In the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Kwok Wai-yin (1241-1320) was a prominent military leader who played a significant role in the conquest of the Mongol Empire. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Kwok Ching-leung (1539-1612) was a renowned scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to Neo-Confucianism.
As Chinese immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the Kwok surname spread to various countries. One notable bearer of this name was Kwok Ah-tsoi (1876-1962), a prominent Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist who established the Kwok Charitable Trust.
Another influential figure was Kwok Man-wai (1923-2013), a Hong Kong film director and producer who is considered a pioneer of the Hong Kong film industry. He directed over 100 films and is credited with launching the careers of many legendary actors and actresses.
In more recent times, Kwok Hing-sum (1925-2019) was a respected Hong Kong educator and author who made significant contributions to the promotion of Chinese literature and culture. He received numerous awards and honors for his work.
While these are just a few examples, the Kwok surname has a rich and diverse history spanning centuries, reflecting the cultural and historical significance of this ancient Chinese name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kwok
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwok, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and White (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kwok 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 Kwok surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.0% · 5,356
- Two or more races3.1% · 177
- White2.6% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 68
- Black or African American0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kwok
Kwok 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
#6,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,458
+806 bearers (+17.3%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Up 441 places
2020
#5,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,760
+302 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Up 466 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,698 | 4,652 | 1.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,257 | 5,458 | 1.85 | +806 bearers (+17.3%) | Up 441 places |
| 2020 | #5,791 | 5,760 | 1.93 | +302 bearers (+5.5%) | Up 466 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 Kwok 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 | #6,257 | #5,791 | 7.4% |
| Count | 5,458 | 5,760 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.93 | 4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kwok bearers went from 5,458 to 5,760 (+5.5% change). The surname moved up 466 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,257 to #5,791.
FAQ
Kwok surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kwok?
Name Census estimates that about 6,605 living Americans carry the surname Kwok. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,893 residents.
How common is Kwok?
Kwok ranks #5,791 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,760 people with the surname Kwok. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,605), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kwok.
Has Kwok become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kwok went from 5,458 recorded bearers to 5,760. That is an increase of 302 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,257 to #5,791.
What does the Census say about the background of Kwok?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kwok, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and White (2.6%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kwok in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (5,356 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kwok appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), White (2.6%). 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 Kwok (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 Kwok mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "country" or "nation," or referring to a person from the ancient state of Guo. 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 Kwok (1.93 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 many Americans have the surname Kwok?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.