2000
#1,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.19
Uncommon Last name
Lockwood
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a forest or wood enclosed by a fence or barrier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,933 Americans carry the last name Lockwood. That puts it at #1,842 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,627 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lockwood 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 Lockwood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,627
Census rank
#1,842
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,127 bearers of the surname Lockwood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1842nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lockwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lockwood
The surname Lockwood is of English origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the place name Lockwood, which is found in several counties across England, including Yorkshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire. The name itself is composed of two Old English elements: "loca," meaning an enclosure or lock, and "wudu," meaning a wood or forest.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Lockwood can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lochewode." This suggests that the name was already well-established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Henry de Lockwood, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1176. Another notable early figure was John de Lockwood, who was recorded as a landowner in Staffordshire in the late 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Lockwood family held estates and lands in various parts of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. The Lockwood family of Doncaster, Yorkshire, was a prominent branch, with members serving as Members of Parliament and holding influential positions in the local community.
In the 16th century, Sir Robert Lockwood (c.1490-1564) was a notable figure who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1558-1559. He was a successful merchant and a member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Francis Lockwood (1667-1731), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Peterborough Cathedral from 1727 until his death.
In the literary world, John Lockwood Kipling (1837-1911), father of the famous writer Rudyard Kipling, was a notable figure. He was an accomplished sculptor and ceramicist, and his works were widely celebrated during the Victorian era.
The Lockwood surname has also been associated with the United States since the colonial era. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Robert Lockwood, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and became a prominent landowner and planter.
Throughout its long history, the surname Lockwood has been borne by many notable individuals across various fields, from politics and religion to literature and the arts. Its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was derived from the Old English elements referring to an enclosed woodland area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lockwood
Among Census respondents with the surname Lockwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lockwood 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 Lockwood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 16,038
- Black or African American6.5% · 1,245
- Two or more races4.1% · 777
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 634
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 280
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 153
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lockwood
Lockwood 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
#1,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,865
+479 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 6.73
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#1,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,127
-738 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 6.40
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,695 | 19,386 | 7.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,806 | 19,865 | 6.73 | +479 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #1,842 | 19,127 | 6.40 | -738 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 36 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 Lockwood 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 | #1,806 | #1,842 | -2.0% |
| Count | 19,865 | 19,127 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.73 | 6.40 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lockwood bearers went from 19,865 to 19,127 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,806 to #1,842.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lockwood
FAQ
Lockwood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lockwood?
Name Census estimates that about 21,933 living Americans carry the surname Lockwood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,627 residents.
How common is Lockwood?
Lockwood ranks #1,842 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,127 people with the surname Lockwood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Lockwood.
Has Lockwood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lockwood went from 19,865 recorded bearers to 19,127. That is a decrease of 738 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,806 to #1,842.
What does the Census say about the background of Lockwood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lockwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Lockwood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (16,038 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lockwood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Lockwood (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 Lockwood mean?
An English topographic surname for someone who lived near a forest or wood enclosed by a fence or barrier. 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 Lockwood (6.40 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 share the surname Lockwood?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.