Find out how popular the last name Mok is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mok.

Mok, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mok surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mok in America

Mok is the 11597th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mok surname appeared 2,707 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Mok.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mok to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Mok

The surname "MOK" has its origins in the Netherlands, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "mok," meaning a mug or cup, suggesting that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive name for someone who worked with or sold mugs or cups.

The earliest recorded instances of the name "MOK" can be found in Dutch municipal records from the late 1500s, particularly in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Some of the earliest documented individuals with this surname include Pieter Mok, born in Amsterdam in 1572, and Jan Mok, a merchant from Rotterdam who lived in the early 17th century.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name "MOK" appeared in various Dutch records, including church registers, tax rolls, and legal documents. Several notable individuals with this surname emerged during this period, such as Hendrick Mok (1645-1718), a renowned painter from Delft known for his still-life paintings featuring mugs and cups.

As Dutch settlers and immigrants began to spread across the globe, the surname "MOK" traveled with them. In the late 18th century, records show individuals with this surname in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), where they were involved in the spice trade and colonial administration. One such individual was Pieter Mok (1765-1832), a prominent merchant and landowner in Batavia (now Jakarta).

The 19th century saw the further spread of the "MOK" surname, with individuals bearing this name appearing in records from South Africa, where Dutch settlers had established colonies. One notable figure from this period was Johannes Mok (1812-1885), a Boer farmer and military leader who played a role in the Great Trek and the establishment of the Transvaal Republic.

In the 20th century, the "MOK" surname continued to be found in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with Dutch heritage or ties to the Netherlands. Some notable individuals with this surname include Piet Mok (1911-1998), a Dutch painter and sculptor known for his abstract expressionist works, and Theo Mok (1942-2018), a Dutch businessman and philanthropist who founded the Mok Foundation to support education and healthcare initiatives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mok

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mok.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mok was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mok has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mok was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mok, please contact us.

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