2000
#11,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,489
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Rockey
Derived from a place name meaning "rook island," referring to a location inhabited by rooks or crows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,813 Americans carry the last name Rockey. That puts it at #12,128 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,847 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rockey 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 Rockey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,847
Census rank
#12,128
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,453 bearers of the surname Rockey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12128th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rockey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rockey
The surname Rockey has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "roc," which means a rock or a boulder, combined with the diminutive suffix "-y." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a prominent rock formation or a rocky area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Rockey surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, dated around 1273, which lists a person named Robyn de la Rokele. This spelling variation highlights the connection to the Old English word for rock and indicates that the name may have initially been a descriptive term for someone living near a rocky place.
In the 14th century, the Rockey surname appeared in various historical records, such as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which listed a John Rokky. This spelling variation further emphasizes the link to the Old English word for rock and suggests the surname's evolution over time.
The Rockey surname is also associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person is William Rockey (c. 1625-1677), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Gisleham in Suffolk. Another prominent figure is Edward Rockey (1722-1781), an American merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the early development of Wilmington, Delaware.
John Rockey (1736-1819) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars. He achieved the rank of Vice Admiral and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Bath for his distinguished service.
Mary Rockey (1751-1835) was a notable English Quaker minister and writer who traveled extensively, sharing her religious teachings and advocating for social reforms, particularly in the areas of education and prison reform.
In the 19th century, James Rockey (1819-1890) was a prominent American businessman and philanthropist from Ohio. He amassed a substantial fortune through various business ventures and dedicated a significant portion of his wealth to charitable causes, including the establishment of educational institutions.
While the Rockey surname has its roots in England and can be traced back to the 13th century, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rockey
Among Census respondents with the surname Rockey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Rockey 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 Rockey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 2,279
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 66
- Two or more races2.2% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rockey
Rockey 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
#11,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,670
+181 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 158 places
2020
#12,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,453
-217 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 392 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,578 | 2,489 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,736 | 2,670 | 0.91 | +181 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 158 places |
| 2020 | #12,128 | 2,453 | 0.82 | -217 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 392 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 Rockey 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 | #11,736 | #12,128 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,670 | 2,453 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.82 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rockey bearers went from 2,670 to 2,453 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 392 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,736 to #12,128.
FAQ
Rockey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rockey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,813 living Americans carry the surname Rockey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,847 residents.
How common is Rockey?
Rockey ranks #12,128 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,453 people with the surname Rockey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,813), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Rockey.
Has Rockey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rockey went from 2,670 recorded bearers to 2,453. That is a decrease of 217 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,736 to #12,128.
What does the Census say about the background of Rockey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rockey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Rockey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (2,279 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rockey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Rockey (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 Rockey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "rook island," referring to a location inhabited by rooks or crows. 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 Rockey (0.82 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 common is the surname Rockey?
Find out how many people have the last name Rockey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.