2000
#6,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,766
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Rook
An occupational surname referring to a chess piece or a castle tower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,610 Americans carry the last name Rook. That puts it at #7,919 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,350 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rook 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 Rook with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,350
Census rank
#7,919
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,020 bearers of the surname Rook in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7919th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rook, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rook
The surname Rook is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hroc," meaning a rook, which is a type of crow. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who had a resemblance to the bird or lived in an area where rooks were abundant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rook can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Rogerus Roc is mentioned. This early spelling variation highlights the name's connection to the Old English word "hroc."
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Rok, Roke, and Rooke, in various records across England, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Thomas le Roke.
The Rook surname has been associated with various place names in England, including Rooksbridge in Somerset and Rookesbury in Hampshire. These place names likely derived from the presence of rooks in those areas, and individuals may have adopted the surname based on their association with these locations.
One notable bearer of the Rook surname was Sir Thomas Rook (c. 1570-1637), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Wallingford during the reign of King James I. Another notable figure was Thomas Rook (1651-1744), an English dissenting minister and author of several theological works.
In the 17th century, the surname Rook appeared in various colonial records in America, suggesting that individuals with this surname were among the early settlers in the New World. One example is John Rook, who arrived in Virginia in 1634.
In the 18th century, the name was found in various records across England, including the baptismal records of St. Mary's Church in Alverstoke, Hampshire, which mentions the baptism of William Rook in 1718.
Other notable bearers of the Rook surname include Edward Rook (1726-1782), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Brackley, and John Rook (1770-1838), an English engraver and artist who produced illustrations for various publications.
Throughout its history, the surname Rook has maintained its connection to the Old English word "hroc" and the bird of the same name, making it a distinctive English surname with a rich linguistic and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rook
Among Census respondents with the surname Rook, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rook 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 Rook surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 3,551
- Black or African American4.0% · 161
- Two or more races3.7% · 147
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rook
Rook 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
#7,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,668
-98 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 609 places
2020
#7,919
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,020
-648 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 754 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,556 | 4,766 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,165 | 4,668 | 1.58 | -98 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 609 places |
| 2020 | #7,919 | 4,020 | 1.34 | -648 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 754 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 Rook 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 | #7,165 | #7,919 | -10.5% |
| Count | 4,668 | 4,020 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.34 | -14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rook bearers went from 4,668 to 4,020 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 754 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,165 to #7,919.
FAQ
Rook surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rook?
Name Census estimates that about 4,610 living Americans carry the surname Rook. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,350 residents.
How common is Rook?
Rook ranks #7,919 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 4,020 people with the surname Rook. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,610), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Rook.
Has Rook become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rook went from 4,668 recorded bearers to 4,020. That is a decrease of 648 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,165 to #7,919.
What does the Census say about the background of Rook?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rook, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Rook in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (3,551 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rook appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Rook (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 Rook mean?
An occupational surname referring to a chess piece or a castle tower. 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 Rook (1.34 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 Rook?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Rook is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.