2000
#502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,682
First available Census row
Per 100,000 22.12
Uncommon Last name
Brock
A topographic surname derived from place names meaning "badger" in Old English or "brook" in Old Norse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 66,932 Americans carry the last name Brock. That puts it at #566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 19.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,121 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Brock 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 Brock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
67K
1 in 5,121
Census rank
#566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
19.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
58K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 58,368 bearers of the surname Brock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 19.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Brock, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Brock
The surname Brock is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "broc," meaning a badger or a small stream. The name is believed to have originated in England during the early medieval period, with some of the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 11th century.
The name Brock is thought to have been initially used as a descriptive surname, either referring to someone who lived near a small stream or someone who exhibited characteristics reminiscent of a badger, such as tenacity or fierce determination. It was also likely used as a locational surname for individuals who resided near a place called Brock or Brockholes.
One of the earliest known references to the name Brock can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and property ownership in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Brocchus, believed to be an early spelling variation of the surname Brock.
During the 13th century, the name Brock appeared in various medieval records and documents, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed individuals such as Robert de Brok and William Brock. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also mentioned individuals with the surname Brock, including John Brok and Adam Brok.
One notable individual with the surname Brock was Sir Robert Brock, a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1430. Another prominent figure was Sir John Brock, a military commander who fought in the English Civil War during the 17th century and was knighted for his service to King Charles I.
In the 18th century, Thomas Brock (1670-1743) was a renowned English sculptor and architect, known for his work on numerous churches and public buildings in London. Isaac Brock (1769-1812), a British Army officer and administrator, played a crucial role in defending Canada during the War of 1812 and is widely regarded as a national hero in Canada.
Sir Thomas Brock (1847-1922) was a celebrated English sculptor who created several notable monuments, including the iconic Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace and the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in Ottawa, Canada.
Throughout history, the surname Brock has also been associated with various place names, such as Brockhall in Lancashire, Brockworth in Gloucestershire, and Brockhampton in Herefordshire, further highlighting the name's geographical and locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Brock
Among Census respondents with the surname Brock, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Brock 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 Brock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 46,403
- Black or African American11.8% · 6,888
- Two or more races4.4% · 2,581
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,758
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 436
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 302
Timeline
Historical Census data for Brock
Brock 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
#546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,369
+1,687 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 20.80
Rank movement Down 44 places
2020
#566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,368
-3,001 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 19.53
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #502 | 59,682 | 22.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #546 | 61,369 | 20.80 | +1,687 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 44 places |
| 2020 | #566 | 58,368 | 19.53 | -3,001 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 20 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 Brock 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 | #546 | #566 | -3.7% |
| Count | 61,369 | 58,368 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 20.80 | 19.53 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Brock bearers went from 61,369 to 58,368 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #546 to #566.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Brock
FAQ
Brock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Brock?
Name Census estimates that about 66,932 living Americans carry the surname Brock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,121 residents.
How common is Brock?
Brock ranks #566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 19.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 58,368 people with the surname Brock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (66,932), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 19.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 19.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Brock.
Has Brock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Brock went from 61,369 recorded bearers to 58,368. That is a decrease of 3,001 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #546 to #566.
What does the Census say about the background of Brock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Brock, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (11.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Brock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (46,403 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Brock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Black (11.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Brock (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 Brock mean?
A topographic surname derived from place names meaning "badger" in Old English or "brook" in Old Norse. 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 Brock (19.53 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 Brock?
See how many Americans have the surname Brock on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.