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

Polk, 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 Polk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Polk in America

Polk is the 1296th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Polk surname appeared 27,094 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Polk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Polk 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 Polk

The surname Polk is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "poll" meaning "a creek or stream". It first emerged in the areas of Lancashire and Cheshire in northern England during the 13th century.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de Pol". This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a small stream or creek. Over time, the spelling evolved to Polk, Polke, and Polek.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to various place names containing the word "poll", such as Polleshull (now Poulshot) in Wiltshire and Poletorn (now Poulton) in Cheshire. These place names likely contributed to the development of the surname Polk.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Polk, who lived in the 14th century and served as a member of the English Parliament in 1388. Another notable figure was Thomas Polk (1732-1794), a Scottish-American surveyor and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Perhaps the most famous bearer of the surname was James K. Polk (1795-1849), the 11th President of the United States. He was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and served as president from 1845 to 1849. During his tenure, he oversaw the acquisition of vast territories through the Mexican-American War, including Texas, California, and portions of the present-day American Southwest.

Other historical figures with the surname Polk include:

1. Leonidas Polk (1806-1864), an American Episcopal bishop and Confederate general during the American Civil War.
2. William Polk (1758-1834), an American soldier and politician who served as a member of the Continental Congress.
3. Trusten Polk (1811-1876), an American politician and diplomat who served as the 16th Governor of Missouri.
4. William M. Polk (1844-1919), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Polk family fortune in Tennessee.

While the surname Polk has its roots in England, it eventually spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, where it became more prevalent due to notable figures like President James K. Polk.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Polk

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

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

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

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