2000
#5,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,033
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.24
Rare Last name
Lockard
An English occupational surname referring to a locksmith or lock keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,582 Americans carry the last name Lockard. That puts it at #5,806 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lockard 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.
Bearers in the US
6.6K
1 in 52,074
Census rank
#5,806
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,740 bearers of the surname Lockard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5806th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lockard, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lockard
The surname Lockard is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English words "loc" meaning "lock" or "enclosure," and "ard" meaning a person or place. It's possible that the name was initially used to describe someone who lived near a lock or enclosed area, or someone who worked as a locksmith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lockard can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a Thomas Lokard is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 14th century in the West Midlands region of England.
The Lockard surname also appears in various parish records and manorial documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, primarily concentrated in the counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire. Some variations in spelling included Lokkard, Lockarde, and Lokerd.
A notable early bearer of the name was John Lockard, a merchant and alderman from the city of Worcester, who is recorded in the Guild records of the city in 1589. Another prominent figure was William Lockard, a landowner and justice of the peace in Herefordshire, who was born in 1612 and died in 1679.
In the 17th century, the Lockard name spread to other parts of England, including London and the surrounding counties. One example is Thomas Lockard, a wealthy merchant from London, who was born in 1645 and died in 1712.
The name also found its way to the American colonies in the 18th century, with immigrants such as James Lockard, who settled in Virginia in 1720, and John Lockard, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1773.
Other notable individuals with the Lockard surname include:
1. Sir John Lockard (1786-1853), a British naval officer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Portsmouth.
2. Mary Lockard (1832-1919), an American educator and women's rights activist from Ohio.
3. William Lockard (1868-1941), an American businessman and philanthropist from Pennsylvania.
4. James Lockard (1894-1977), an American football player and coach who played for the University of Michigan.
5. Margaret Lockard (1913-2004), an American author and historian known for her works on the history of the American West.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lockard
Among Census respondents with the surname Lockard, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lockard 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 Lockard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 5,160
- Two or more races3.6% · 209
- Black or African American2.9% · 166
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lockard
Lockard 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
#5,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,141
+108 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Down 335 places
2020
#5,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,740
-401 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 155 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,316 | 6,033 | 2.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,651 | 6,141 | 2.08 | +108 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 335 places |
| 2020 | #5,806 | 5,740 | 1.92 | -401 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 155 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 Lockard 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 | #5,651 | #5,806 | -2.7% |
| Count | 6,141 | 5,740 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 1.92 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lockard bearers went from 6,141 to 5,740 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 155 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,651 to #5,806.
FAQ
Lockard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lockard?
Name Census estimates that about 6,582 living Americans carry the surname Lockard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,074 residents.
How common is Lockard?
Lockard ranks #5,806 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.92 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 5,740 people with the surname Lockard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,582), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.92 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 Lockard.
Has Lockard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lockard went from 6,141 recorded bearers to 5,740. That is a decrease of 401 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,651 to #5,806.
What does the Census say about the background of Lockard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lockard, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Black (2.9%). 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 Lockard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (5,160 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lockard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Black (2.9%). 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 Lockard (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 Lockard mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a locksmith or lock keeper. 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 Lockard (1.92 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 surname Lockard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.