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

Rocklin, 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 Rocklin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rocklin in America

Rocklin is the 68547th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rocklin surname appeared 287 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 Rocklin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rocklin 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 Rocklin

The surname Rocklin is believed to have originated in Germany, possibly as early as the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "roc" meaning rock or rocky, and "lind" meaning a small hill or mound. Together, these words suggest a rocky, hilly terrain, indicating that the name may have been a descriptive one initially given to someone who lived in such an area.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Rocklin can be found in various medieval German records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is a reference to a "Johannes Rocklin" in a land deed from the town of Hildesheim, dated 1327. This suggests that the name was already established and in use by that time.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, as the surname system became more widespread across Europe, the name Rocklin began to appear in various spellings such as Rocklein, Rocklyn, and Rocklen. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping of the time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Rocklin, a German soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He is mentioned in several contemporary accounts of the conflict, though few details about his life are known.

In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Rocklin was Johann Christoph Rocklin (1725-1798), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg. His works, though relatively obscure today, were well-regarded in his time.

Another historical figure was Friedrich Rocklin (1810-1887), a German artist and painter known for his landscape and genre scenes. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and spent much of his career in Bavaria.

In the 19th century, the name Rocklin also appears in records from the United States, likely brought over by German immigrants. One such individual was Wilhelm Rocklin (1832-1905), who settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a blacksmith.

Finally, a more recent but still historical figure was Theodor Rocklin (1890-1959), a German-American engineer and inventor who held numerous patents related to automotive technology. He worked for several major car manufacturers in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rocklin

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

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

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

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