2000
#79,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 223
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Mocek
A Polish surname derived from a diminutive of the personal name Moczek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 269 Americans carry the last name Mocek. That puts it at #85,600 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,274,180 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mocek 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
269
1 in 1,274,180
Census rank
#85,600
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
235
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 235 bearers of the surname Mocek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 85600th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mocek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mocek
The surname Mocek has its origins in Poland. It is a diminutive or derivative form of the Polish name Moczek, which itself is a nickname derived from the Polish word 'moczy' meaning 'to wet' or 'to moisten'. The name likely originated in the 14th or 15th century, referring to someone who worked with water, such as a fisherman, boatman, or miller.
Early records of the name Mocek can be found in various Polish historical documents and parish registers from the 16th century onwards. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jan Mocek, a miller recorded in the town of Krakow in 1537. Another early reference is to Maciej Mocek, a farmer from the village of Buczek, mentioned in a land registry from 1598.
The name Mocek has seen various spellings over the centuries, including Moczek, Moczko, and Moczyk, reflecting regional variations and dialect differences across different parts of Poland. Some variant forms of the name may also have originated as separate nicknames or occupational descriptions related to water or moisture.
Notable individuals with the surname Mocek include Andrzej Mocek (1553-1625), a Polish nobleman and writer who authored treatises on falconry and hunting. There was also Jan Mocek (1609-1681), a Jesuit priest and theologian from Silesia who wrote extensively on religious subjects.
In the 19th century, Jakub Mocek (1819-1892) was a prominent Polish engineer and industrialist who played a key role in the development of the mining industry in the region of Upper Silesia. More recently, Jerzy Mocek (1910-1987) was a distinguished Polish film director and screenwriter known for his contributions to the Polish cinema.
While originally centered in Poland, the name Mocek has also spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, it remains most strongly associated with its Polish roots and the historical significance it holds within that cultural context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mocek
Among Census respondents with the surname Mocek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mocek 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 Mocek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 229
- Two or more races1.3% · 3
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mocek
Mocek 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
#77,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 248
+25 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 2,130 places
2020
#85,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 235
-13 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 8,336 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #79,394 | 223 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #77,264 | 248 | 0.08 | +25 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,130 places |
| 2020 | #85,600 | 235 | 0.08 | -13 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 8,336 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 Mocek 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 | #77,264 | #85,600 | -10.8% |
| Count | 248 | 235 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mocek bearers went from 248 to 235 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 8,336 positions in the national ranking, going from #77,264 to #85,600.
FAQ
Mocek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mocek?
Name Census estimates that about 269 living Americans carry the surname Mocek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,274,180 residents.
How common is Mocek?
Mocek ranks #85,600 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 235 people with the surname Mocek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (269), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Mocek.
Has Mocek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mocek went from 248 recorded bearers to 235. That is a decrease of 13 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #77,264 to #85,600.
What does the Census say about the background of Mocek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mocek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Mocek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mocek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (1.3%), Black (0.4%). 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 Mocek (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 Mocek mean?
A Polish surname derived from a diminutive of the personal name Moczek. 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 Mocek (0.08 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 common is the surname Mocek?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Mocek at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.