2000
#14,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,872
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Strock
A German occupational surname referring to a brushwood cutter or a wood cutter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,073 Americans carry the last name Strock. That puts it at #15,568 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strock 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 165,342
Census rank
#15,568
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,808 bearers of the surname Strock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15568th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strock
The surname STROCK is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest records dating back to the late Middle Ages. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Strock," which refers to a bundle or bunch of something, such as straw or hay. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked with such materials, perhaps a farmer or a thatcher.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the STROCK name can be found in the historic town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the Franconian region of Bavaria, Germany. In the city's archives, there is a record from the year 1436 mentioning a man named Hans Strock, a local farmer.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the STROCK name began to spread across various regions of Germany, as well as into neighboring countries like Switzerland and Austria. In the town of Zurich, Switzerland, there is a record from 1587 of a man named Jakob Strock, who worked as a miller.
In the 18th century, the STROCK name made its way to other parts of Europe, including France and England. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Christoph Strock, a German composer and organist who lived from 1681 to 1744. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of the Baroque music style.
As the STROCK family continued to grow and disperse throughout Europe, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Stroch, Strocke, and Strocken. These variations were often based on local dialects and regional pronunciations.
Another historical figure of note was Wilhelm Strock, a German military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1785, he fought in several battles against the French forces and was awarded the prestigious Iron Cross for his bravery.
In the 19th century, many STROCK families began to emigrate from Europe to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was in 1832, when a man named Johann Strock arrived in New York City from Germany.
Overall, the surname STROCK has a rich history spanning multiple centuries and countries, with its roots firmly planted in the agricultural traditions of medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strock
Among Census respondents with the surname Strock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Strock 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 Strock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 1,652
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 78
- Two or more races2.7% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strock
Strock 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
#12,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,421
+549 bearers (+29.3%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 1,836 places
2020
#15,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,808
-613 bearers (-25.3%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 2,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,581 | 1,872 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,745 | 2,421 | 0.82 | +549 bearers (+29.3%) | Up 1,836 places |
| 2020 | #15,568 | 1,808 | 0.60 | -613 bearers (-25.3%) | Down 2,823 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 Strock 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 | #12,745 | #15,568 | -22.1% |
| Count | 2,421 | 1,808 | -25.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.60 | -26.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strock bearers went from 2,421 to 1,808 (-25.3% change). The surname moved down 2,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,745 to #15,568.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Strock
FAQ
Strock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strock?
Name Census estimates that about 2,073 living Americans carry the surname Strock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,342 residents.
How common is Strock?
Strock ranks #15,568 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,808 people with the surname Strock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,073), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Strock.
Has Strock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strock went from 2,421 recorded bearers to 1,808. That is a decrease of 613 (-25.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,745 to #15,568.
What does the Census say about the background of Strock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Strock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (1,652 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Strock (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 Strock mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a brushwood cutter or a wood cutter. 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 Strock (0.60 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 share the surname Strock?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.