2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Loeck
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Loeck. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loeck 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Loeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loeck
The surname Loeck has its origins in the German language, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "loch," which referred to a small opening or hole, possibly indicating an early bearer's residence near a distinct geographical feature.
The name first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, with mentions of individuals bearing the surname in various regions of present-day Germany. One of the earliest known references is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, where a certain Henrich Loeck is listed as a landowner in 1285.
As the name spread throughout the German territories, it underwent minor spelling variations, such as Loecke, Loeckh, and Loecken, reflecting regional dialects and scribal preferences. In the 15th century, the name appeared in the Bürgermeisterbuch (Book of Mayors) of the city of Lübeck, where a Claus Loeck served as a respected member of the local council.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Loeck surname throughout history are Johann Loeck (1592-1659), a German Lutheran theologian and author of several religious treatises, and Georg Loeck (1784-1867), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as the Commandant of Berlin.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Friedrich Loeck (1731-1811), a renowned German architect and urban planner. His most significant work was the redesign of the city center of Berlin, which earned him the title of "Father of the New Berlin."
Another noteworthy figure was the poet and writer Theodor Loeck (1865-1936), whose works explored themes of nature and rural life in Germany. His collection of poetry, "Aus der Heimat" (From the Homeland), published in 1902, was widely acclaimed and established him as a prominent voice in German literature.
While the Loeck surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and diasporas over the centuries. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the medieval German territories, where it first emerged as a distinct family identifier.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Loeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Loeck 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 Loeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loeck
Loeck 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+13 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,235 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-12 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,069 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 4,235 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 9,069 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 Loeck 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 | #146,201 | #155,270 | -6.2% |
| Count | 113 | 101 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loeck bearers went from 113 to 101 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 9,069 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #155,270.
FAQ
Loeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loeck?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Loeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Loeck?
Loeck ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Loeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Loeck.
Has Loeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loeck went from 113 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Loeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Loeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Loeck (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 Loeck mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Loeck (0.03 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 Loeck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.