2000
#13,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,018
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Nock
An English occupational surname referring to a notch cutter or a maker of notches or nocks in arrows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,196 Americans carry the last name Nock. That puts it at #14,854 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,081 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nock 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 Nock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 156,081
Census rank
#14,854
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,915 bearers of the surname Nock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14854th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nock, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nock
The surname Nock has its origins in England, with records indicating its presence as early as the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word 'cnoc', meaning 'hill' or 'knoll', suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or elevated area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as 'Atte Nock'. This spelling variation, 'Atte Nock', implies that the name was originally a locative surname, indicating a person's place of residence or origin.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records, including the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where it is spelled as 'del Nok' in 1317. This variation, 'del Nok', further reinforces the locative nature of the surname, as 'del' was a common prefix used to denote 'of' or 'from'.
The Nock surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Thomas Nock, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich, England, who lived during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Another was John Nock, a renowned clockmaker from Hertfordshire, England, born in 1677, whose work was highly regarded during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the Nock surname gained further recognition with the birth of William Nock (1732-1804), an English engraver and illustrator known for his intricate book illustrations and satirical caricatures. His son, Robert Nock (1758-1841), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned engraver and artist in his own right.
Moving into the 19th century, the name is associated with Eliza Nock (1805-1888), a British philanthropist and activist who dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of the working class in London. She established the Nock Refuge for Destitute Children, which provided shelter and education for underprivileged children.
While the Nock surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America and Australia, carried by individuals who migrated from the British Isles in search of new opportunities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nock
Among Census respondents with the surname Nock, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nock 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 Nock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.7% · 1,220
- Black or African American29.4% · 563
- Two or more races3.8% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nock
Nock 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
#13,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,191
+173 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 32 places
2020
#14,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,915
-276 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,056 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,766 | 2,018 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,798 | 2,191 | 0.74 | +173 bearers (+8.6%) | Down 32 places |
| 2020 | #14,854 | 1,915 | 0.64 | -276 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 1,056 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 Nock 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 | #13,798 | #14,854 | -7.7% |
| Count | 2,191 | 1,915 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.64 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nock bearers went from 2,191 to 1,915 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 1,056 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,798 to #14,854.
FAQ
Nock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nock?
Name Census estimates that about 2,196 living Americans carry the surname Nock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,081 residents.
How common is Nock?
Nock ranks #14,854 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,915 people with the surname Nock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Nock.
Has Nock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nock went from 2,191 recorded bearers to 1,915. That is a decrease of 276 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,798 to #14,854.
What does the Census say about the background of Nock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nock, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (29.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Nock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.7% (1,220 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.7%), Black (29.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Nock (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 Nock mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a notch cutter or a maker of notches or nocks in arrows. 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 Nock (0.64 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 Nock?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Nock on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.