2000
#4,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,543
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.43
Rare Last name
Lock
An English occupational surname for a locksmith or someone who made and repaired locks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,817 Americans carry the last name Lock. That puts it at #4,992 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,847 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lock 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 Lock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 43,847
Census rank
#4,992
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,817 bearers of the surname Lock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4992nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lock, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lock
The surname LOCK is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval times. It is derived from the Old English word "loc," which means "lock" or "enclosure." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a lock or enclosure, or perhaps worked as a locksmith or gatekeeper.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LOCK can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Loca." This historical document provides valuable insights into the distribution of surnames in England during the 11th century.
In the 13th century, the surname LOCK appeared in various court records and legal documents, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire (1230) and the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire (1272). These records demonstrate the widespread usage of the name across different regions of England.
Over time, the surname underwent several spelling variations, including Lok, Lokke, and Locke. Some notable individuals with the surname LOCK throughout history include:
1. John Lock (c. 1554-1642), a pioneering English philosopher and physician who made significant contributions to the field of empiricism.
2. Matthew Lock (c. 1635-1677), an English composer known for his contributions to the development of English opera and theatrical music.
3. Anne Lock (1767-1854), a British botanist and plant illustrator who produced numerous detailed drawings of plants and flowers.
4. John Baskerville Lock (1805-1876), a British architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Birmingham, including the Birmingham Town Hall.
5. William Lock (1836-1913), a British sculptor and medallist who created numerous public monuments and sculptures, including the statue of Queen Victoria in Birmingham.
The surname LOCK has also been associated with various place names, such as Lockton in North Yorkshire, Lockington in Leicestershire, and Lockwood in West Yorkshire. These place names may have influenced the formation and distribution of the surname in different regions.
While the surname LOCK may have originated from a specific occupation or location, it has since become a widespread surname across various parts of the world, particularly in English-speaking countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lock
Among Census respondents with the surname Lock, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lock 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 Lock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.5% · 5,012
- Black or African American10.5% · 716
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.8% · 461
- Two or more races4.5% · 310
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 264
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lock
Lock 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
#5,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,936
+393 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 123 places
2020
#4,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,817
-119 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Up 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,935 | 6,543 | 2.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,058 | 6,936 | 2.35 | +393 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 123 places |
| 2020 | #4,992 | 6,817 | 2.28 | -119 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 66 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 Lock 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 | #5,058 | #4,992 | 1.3% |
| Count | 6,936 | 6,817 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.35 | 2.28 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lock bearers went from 6,936 to 6,817 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,058 to #4,992.
FAQ
Lock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lock?
Name Census estimates that about 7,817 living Americans carry the surname Lock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,847 residents.
How common is Lock?
Lock ranks #4,992 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.28 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 6,817 people with the surname Lock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,817), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.28 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 Lock.
Has Lock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lock went from 6,936 recorded bearers to 6,817. That is a decrease of 119 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,058 to #4,992.
What does the Census say about the background of Lock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lock, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.8%). 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 Lock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (5,012 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.5%), Black (10.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.8%). 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 Lock (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 Lock mean?
An English occupational surname for a locksmith or someone who made and repaired locks. 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 Lock (2.28 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 people have the last name Lock?
If you just want to know how many people are called Lock, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.