2000
#85,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Rare Last name
Uk
An English surname derived from the abbreviation of the United Kingdom.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,264 Americans carry the last name Uk. That puts it at #14,522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,393 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uk 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
2.3K
1 in 151,393
Census rank
#14,522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,974 bearers of the surname Uk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uk, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 52.7%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Hispanic (15.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uk
The surname UK can be traced back to the 11th century in the area of modern-day England. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "uc", which means "oak". This likely referred to someone who lived near an oak tree or in an area abundant with oak trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname UK can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Uc, which is likely an early spelling variation of the surname.
In the 13th century, the surname UK appeared in various records, including the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230, where a person named John Uc was listed. Another early record is the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which mentions a William Uk.
The surname UK has also been associated with certain place names, such as Uckfield in East Sussex, which means "open land or field of a man called Uca". This suggests that the surname may have derived from a place name related to an individual with the same name.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname UK include:
1. Robert Uk (c. 1220 - c. 1290), an English landowner and knight who fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III.
2. Agnes Uk (c. 1275 - c. 1340), a wealthy widow from Yorkshire who donated land and funds to establish a hospital in the city of York.
3. John Uk (c. 1385 - c. 1455), a member of the English Parliament and a supporter of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses.
4. William Uk (c. 1520 - c. 1585), a merchant and ship owner from Bristol who traded with the colonies in the Americas.
5. Elizabeth Uk (c. 1610 - c. 1680), a Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of the town of Andover.
While the surname UK may have evolved over time and taken on different spellings, its origins can be traced back to the early medieval period in England, where it was likely associated with people living near oak trees or in areas abundant with oak forests.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uk
Among Census respondents with the surname Uk, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 52.7%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Hispanic (15.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Uk 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 Uk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander52.7% · 1,041
- White22.6% · 446
- Hispanic or Latino15.2% · 301
- Black or African American8.1% · 159
- Two or more races1.0% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uk
Uk 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
#43,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 503
+300 bearers (+147.8%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 42,637 places
2020
#14,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,974
+1,471 bearers (+292.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 28,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #85,643 | 203 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #43,006 | 503 | 0.17 | +300 bearers (+147.8%) | Up 42,637 places |
| 2020 | #14,522 | 1,974 | 0.66 | +1,471 bearers (+292.4%) | Up 28,484 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 Uk 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 | #43,006 | #14,522 | 66.2% |
| Count | 503 | 1,974 | 292.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.17 | 0.66 | 288.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uk bearers went from 503 to 1,974 (+292.4% change). The surname moved up 28,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #43,006 to #14,522.
FAQ
Uk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uk?
Name Census estimates that about 2,264 living Americans carry the surname Uk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,393 residents.
How common is Uk?
Uk ranks #14,522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,974 people with the surname Uk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,264), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Uk.
Has Uk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uk went from 503 recorded bearers to 1,974. That is an increase of 1,471 (+292.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #43,006 to #14,522.
What does the Census say about the background of Uk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uk, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 52.7%. The next largest groups are White (22.6%) and Hispanic (15.2%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Uk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.7% (1,041 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (52.7%), White (22.6%), Hispanic (15.2%). 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 Uk (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 Uk mean?
An English surname derived from the abbreviation of the United Kingdom. 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 Uk (0.66 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 surname Uk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.