2000
#1,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,516
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.83
Uncommon Last name
Locke
An English occupational surname referring to a locksmith or someone who made and repaired locks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,519 Americans carry the last name Locke. That puts it at #1,337 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Locke 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 Locke with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,611
Census rank
#1,337
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,742 bearers of the surname Locke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1337th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Locke, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Locke
The surname Locke is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "loc," meaning an enclosure or a lock of hair. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 12th century and was initially used as a locational name, referring to someone who lived near an enclosure or a lock on a river or canal.
The surname Locke can be traced back to various historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions individuals with the surname in counties such as Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is believed to be "Loche," found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1166.
In the 13th century, the surname Locke appeared in various forms, including "de la Loke," "atte Loke," and "del Lok," indicating the locational origin of the name. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John de la Loke, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296.
Some notable individuals throughout history with the surname Locke include John Locke (1632-1704), an English philosopher and influential Enlightenment thinker, known for his works on natural rights, political theory, and empiricism. Another prominent figure was Matthew Locke (1621-1677), an English composer and one of the most influential figures in the Baroque era.
Other notable individuals with the surname Locke include John Locke (1805-1892), an English agriculturist and writer on rural affairs, and John G. Locke (1835-1920), an American businessman and co-founder of the Locke Insulator Manufacturing Company. William John Locke (1863-1930) was an English novelist and playwright who wrote popular novels such as "The Beloved Vagabond" and "The Fortunate Youth."
The surname Locke has also been associated with various place names, such as Locke Park in Redcar, England, and Locke Township in Ingham County, Michigan, USA. Additionally, the surname has been spelled in various ways throughout history, including Lok, Loke, Locker, and Loker.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Locke
Among Census respondents with the surname Locke, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Locke 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 Locke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.9% · 20,047
- Black or African American12.3% · 3,156
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,187
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 802
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 345
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 205
Timeline
Historical Census data for Locke
Locke 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
#1,272
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,643
+1,127 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 9.37
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#1,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,742
-1,901 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 8.61
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,210 | 26,516 | 9.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,272 | 27,643 | 9.37 | +1,127 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #1,337 | 25,742 | 8.61 | -1,901 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 65 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 Locke 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 | #1,272 | #1,337 | -5.1% |
| Count | 27,643 | 25,742 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 9.37 | 8.61 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Locke bearers went from 27,643 to 25,742 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,272 to #1,337.
FAQ
Locke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Locke?
Name Census estimates that about 29,519 living Americans carry the surname Locke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,611 residents.
How common is Locke?
Locke ranks #1,337 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,742 people with the surname Locke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,519), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Locke.
Has Locke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Locke went from 27,643 recorded bearers to 25,742. That is a decrease of 1,901 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,272 to #1,337.
What does the Census say about the background of Locke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Locke, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Locke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (20,047 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Locke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.9%), Black (12.3%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Locke (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 Locke mean?
An English occupational surname referring to 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 Locke (8.61 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 Locke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.