2000
#10,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,697
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Locker
An occupational surname referring to a locksmith or a person who made or repaired locks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,916 Americans carry the last name Locker. That puts it at #11,782 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,543 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Locker 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 Locker with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,543
Census rank
#11,782
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,543 bearers of the surname Locker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11782nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Locker, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Locker
The surname Locker has its origins in medieval England, with records dating back to the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "locc," meaning a lock or enclosure, referring to someone who lived near a lockable gate or enclosure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a Robert le Lokker. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time, with the addition and removal of letters and suffixes.
During the Middle Ages, the Locker name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in eastern England. These areas had a significant agricultural presence, and the name may have originally referred to someone responsible for securing enclosures or gates on farms or manors.
The Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the Locker surname. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the name, such as Lockeridge in Wiltshire and Lockington in East Riding of Yorkshire.
One notable historical figure with the Locker surname was Sir William Locker (1663-1751), a British naval officer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Midhurstand and Sevenoaks. Another prominent individual was John Locker (1693-1760), a British writer and philosopher who published works on education and natural philosophy.
In the 17th century, John Locker (1598-1685), an English goldsmith and banker, established the Locker family as a prominent mercantile and financial dynasty in London. His grandson, John Locker (1669-1720), continued the family's success in banking and was a director of the Bank of England.
Another notable figure was Edward Hawke Locker (1777-1849), a British naval officer and author who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later wrote several popular works of travel literature.
Throughout its history, the Locker surname has been associated with various professions, from agriculture and trade to military service and literature, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Locker
Among Census respondents with the surname Locker, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Locker 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 Locker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 2,200
- Black or African American6.2% · 158
- Two or more races3.2% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Locker
Locker 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
#10,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,894
+197 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 139 places
2020
#11,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,543
-351 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 795 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,848 | 2,697 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,987 | 2,894 | 0.98 | +197 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 139 places |
| 2020 | #11,782 | 2,543 | 0.85 | -351 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 795 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 Locker 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 | #10,987 | #11,782 | -7.2% |
| Count | 2,894 | 2,543 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.85 | -13.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Locker bearers went from 2,894 to 2,543 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 795 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,987 to #11,782.
FAQ
Locker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Locker?
Name Census estimates that about 2,916 living Americans carry the surname Locker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,543 residents.
How common is Locker?
Locker ranks #11,782 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,543 people with the surname Locker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,916), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Locker.
Has Locker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Locker went from 2,894 recorded bearers to 2,543. That is a decrease of 351 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,987 to #11,782.
What does the Census say about the background of Locker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Locker, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Locker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (2,200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Locker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (6.2%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Locker (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 Locker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a locksmith or a person who made or 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 Locker (0.85 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 Locker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.