2000
#1,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,844
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.95
Uncommon Last name
Lockhart
A Scottish habitational surname referring to someone from Lockhart, meaning "enclosure near a hart's leap" in Scots.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,808 Americans carry the last name Lockhart. That puts it at #1,282 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,125 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lockhart 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 Lockhart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
31K
1 in 11,125
Census rank
#1,282
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,866 bearers of the surname Lockhart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1282nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lockhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (30.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lockhart
The surname Lockhart has its origins in the Lanarkshire region of Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "loc" meaning lock or enclosure, and "hart" meaning a deer park or forest. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a deer park or enclosed woodland area.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his invasion of Scotland. One entry reads "William de Lochert" from the county of Ayr. This suggests the name was originally spelled "Lochert" or "Lochhart" before evolving into its modern form.
In the 14th century, the Lockharts were established as a prominent Scottish family, with lands and castles in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. One notable member was Sir Stephen Lockhart (c.1340-1412), who fought alongside Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
The name also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 15th century, where a "John Lokhert" is recorded as a tenant farmer in Renfrewshire in 1456. This suggests the name had spread beyond its original Lanarkshire base by this time.
In the 16th century, the Lockharts were involved in the turbulent politics and power struggles of the Scottish Reformation. George Lockhart (1546-1612) was a staunch Protestant and supporter of John Knox, while his son Sir James Lockhart (1594-1670) was a royalist and fought for King Charles I during the English Civil War.
Other notable Lockharts throughout history include John Gibson Lockhart (1794-1854), a Scottish writer and biographer who wrote the Life of Sir Walter Scott, and John Lockhart-Ross (1721-1790), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
Overall, the surname Lockhart has a rich history spanning over 800 years, with its origins firmly rooted in the medieval Scotland of the 12th and 13th centuries. It has been borne by soldiers, writers, landowners, and farmers throughout the centuries, reflecting the diverse experiences of those who carry this distinctive Scottish name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lockhart
Among Census respondents with the surname Lockhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (30.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lockhart 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 Lockhart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.0% · 16,389
- Black or African American30.0% · 8,048
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,222
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 945
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 170
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lockhart
Lockhart 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
#1,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,883
+1,039 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 9.45
Rank movement Down 66 places
2020
#1,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,866
-1,017 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 8.99
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,195 | 26,844 | 9.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,261 | 27,883 | 9.45 | +1,039 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 66 places |
| 2020 | #1,282 | 26,866 | 8.99 | -1,017 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 21 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 Lockhart 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 | #1,261 | #1,282 | -1.7% |
| Count | 27,883 | 26,866 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 9.45 | 8.99 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lockhart bearers went from 27,883 to 26,866 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,261 to #1,282.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lockhart
FAQ
Lockhart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lockhart?
Name Census estimates that about 30,808 living Americans carry the surname Lockhart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,125 residents.
How common is Lockhart?
Lockhart ranks #1,282 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.99 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 26,866 people with the surname Lockhart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,808), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.99 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 Lockhart.
Has Lockhart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lockhart went from 27,883 recorded bearers to 26,866. That is a decrease of 1,017 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,261 to #1,282.
What does the Census say about the background of Lockhart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lockhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (30.0%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Lockhart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.0% (16,389 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lockhart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.0%), Black (30.0%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Lockhart (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 Lockhart mean?
A Scottish habitational surname referring to someone from Lockhart, meaning "enclosure near a hart's leap" in Scots. 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 Lockhart (8.99 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 Lockhart?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.