2000
#11,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,473
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Mork
Derived from the Dutch word "mork," meaning "swampy land," likely referring to someone who lived near a marsh.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,668 Americans carry the last name Mork. That puts it at #12,671 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,469 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mork 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 Mork with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,469
Census rank
#12,671
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,327 bearers of the surname Mork in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12671st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mork, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mork
The surname Mork has its origins in Germany, dating back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "mor," which means "swamp" or "marsh." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a marshy area or a swamp.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Mork can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, which mentions a family bearing this name in the year 1278. Additionally, the name appears in several other medieval records, such as the Stadtbücher von Frankfurt am Main, which dates back to the 14th century.
The Mork surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia in central Germany, where it is believed to have originated. In these areas, the name was often associated with specific place names, such as Morkau or Morkow, which may have served as the original residences of families bearing this surname.
One notable individual with the surname Mork was Johann Mork, a German theologian and philosopher who lived in the 16th century (1521-1585). He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
Another historical figure with this surname was Hans Mork (c. 1580-1642), a German artist and printmaker known for his engravings and etchings. His works depicted religious subjects, as well as landscapes and portraits.
In the 17th century, a man named Heinrich Mork (1618-1692) gained recognition as a German composer and organist. He served as the organist at the Marktkirche in Hannover and composed several works for organ and voice.
Moving to the 18th century, Carl Mork (1743-1813) was a German writer and philosopher who published several works on aesthetics and the philosophy of art. He was also a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time.
Lastly, in the 19th century, there was a German painter named August Mork (1825-1899), known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from his native region of Saxony.
These examples illustrate the long history and geographical spread of the Mork surname, which has its roots in medieval Germany and has been carried by various notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mork
Among Census respondents with the surname Mork, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Mork 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 Mork surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 2,042
- Two or more races4.8% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mork
Mork 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
#12,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,583
+110 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 437 places
2020
#12,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,327
-256 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 599 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,635 | 2,473 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,072 | 2,583 | 0.88 | +110 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 437 places |
| 2020 | #12,671 | 2,327 | 0.78 | -256 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 599 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 Mork 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 | #12,072 | #12,671 | -5.0% |
| Count | 2,583 | 2,327 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.78 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mork bearers went from 2,583 to 2,327 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 599 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,072 to #12,671.
FAQ
Mork surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mork?
Name Census estimates that about 2,668 living Americans carry the surname Mork. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,469 residents.
How common is Mork?
Mork ranks #12,671 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,327 people with the surname Mork. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,668), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mork.
Has Mork become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mork went from 2,583 recorded bearers to 2,327. That is a decrease of 256 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,072 to #12,671.
What does the Census say about the background of Mork?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mork, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Mork in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (2,042 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mork appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Mork (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 Mork mean?
Derived from the Dutch word "mork," meaning "swampy land," likely referring to someone who lived near a marsh. 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 Mork (0.78 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 last name Mork?
Want to know how many people have the last name Mork? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.