Plock last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Plock

A Polish toponymic surname denoting someone from a place named Plock.

Plock, 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 Plock surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Plock in America

Plock is the 44957th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Plock surname appeared 477 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Plock.

We can also compare 2010 data for Plock 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank44957416577.62%
Count477492-3.10%
Proportion per 100k0.160.18-11.76%

The history of the last name Plock

The surname Plock originated in Poland, with its earliest known use dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old Polish word "płock," which referred to a type of fenced enclosure or defensive fortification. This suggests that the name may have originally been given to someone who lived near or worked at a fortified location.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Płock, located along the Vistula River in central Poland. The town itself dates back to the 10th century and was an important trading center during the Middle Ages.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Piotr Plock (1522-1590) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region of Greater Poland. He was known for his successful trading ventures and his involvement in local politics.

The name Plock also appears in records from the Prussian region of Poland, with Jan Plock (1678-1743) being a respected farmer and landowner in the village of Nowy Dwór during the early 18th century.

In the 19th century, Franciszek Plock (1810-1877) was a celebrated poet and writer from the city of Kraków. His works often explored themes of Polish nationalism and cultural identity, reflecting the turbulent political climate of the time.

Another notable individual with the surname Plock was Zofia Plock (1892-1976), a pioneering Polish educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded several schools and educational programs aimed at empowering women and promoting gender equality.

While the name Plock has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical significance of the name remain firmly rooted in Polish history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Plock

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

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 Plock was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only95.39%455
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only1.05%5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races1.47%7
Hispanic Origin1.26%6

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 Plock has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White95.39%97.15%-1.83%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander1.05%1.02%2.90%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races1.47%(S)%(S)%
Hispanic1.26%(S)%(S)%

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 Plock was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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