2000
#57,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 331
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Morck
A variant of the German surname Mork, possibly derived from a Middle German word meaning "soft" or "tender".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 351 Americans carry the last name Morck. That puts it at #69,166 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 976,508 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morck 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
351
1 in 976,508
Census rank
#69,166
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
306
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 306 bearers of the surname Morck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69166th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morck
The surname MORCK originated in Germany, likely in the northern regions bordering Denmark and the North Sea. Its earliest recorded spelling dates back to the 13th century, derived from the Old German word "morck" which referred to a dark or black complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hanseatic League records from the city of Lübeck, where a merchant named Johann Morck is mentioned in documents from 1312. These records also suggest that the name was prevalent among mercantile families in the Baltic trade routes during that era.
As the name spread across northern Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Morck, Morcke, and Mörck. In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Hans Morck (1525-1589), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Lübeck who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
The name also appeared in Danish records from the 17th century, with a prominent figure being Jørgen Morck (1610-1678), a Danish naval officer and Governor of the Danish West Indies. His son, Niels Morck (1642-1701), followed in his footsteps and served as a naval commander.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence in Norway with the birth of Jens Morck (1745-1820), a Norwegian merchant and shipowner who established a successful trading company in Trondheim. His descendants continued to play influential roles in Norwegian business and politics throughout the 19th century.
Another notable bearer of the name was the German physicist and physicist Christian Morck (1833-1901), who made significant contributions to the study of electromagnetism and optics.
Over the centuries, the MORCK surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, clergy, military officers, and academics, reflecting its deep roots in northern European history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morck
Among Census respondents with the surname Morck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Morck 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 Morck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 275
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 18
- Two or more races2.6% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morck
Morck 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
#61,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 324
-7 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 4,355 places
2020
#69,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 306
-18 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 7,267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,544 | 331 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,899 | 324 | 0.11 | -7 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 4,355 places |
| 2020 | #69,166 | 306 | 0.10 | -18 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 7,267 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 Morck 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 | #61,899 | #69,166 | -11.7% |
| Count | 324 | 306 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.10 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morck bearers went from 324 to 306 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 7,267 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,899 to #69,166.
FAQ
Morck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morck?
Name Census estimates that about 351 living Americans carry the surname Morck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 976,508 residents.
How common is Morck?
Morck ranks #69,166 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 306 people with the surname Morck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (351), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Morck.
Has Morck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morck went from 324 recorded bearers to 306. That is a decrease of 18 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #61,899 to #69,166.
What does the Census say about the background of Morck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Morck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (275 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Morck (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 Morck mean?
A variant of the German surname Mork, possibly derived from a Middle German word meaning "soft" or "tender". 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 Morck (0.10 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 Morck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.