2000
#13,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Mok
A Chinese surname meaning "ink," likely referring to an ancestor who worked as a calligrapher or ink maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,233 Americans carry the last name Mok. That puts it at #10,805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,017 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mok 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 Mok with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,017
Census rank
#10,805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,819 bearers of the surname Mok in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mok, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mok
The surname "MOK" has its origins in the Netherlands, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "mok," meaning a mug or cup, suggesting that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive name for someone who worked with or sold mugs or cups.
The earliest recorded instances of the name "MOK" can be found in Dutch municipal records from the late 1500s, particularly in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland. Some of the earliest documented individuals with this surname include Pieter Mok, born in Amsterdam in 1572, and Jan Mok, a merchant from Rotterdam who lived in the early 17th century.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name "MOK" appeared in various Dutch records, including church registers, tax rolls, and legal documents. Several notable individuals with this surname emerged during this period, such as Hendrick Mok (1645-1718), a renowned painter from Delft known for his still-life paintings featuring mugs and cups.
As Dutch settlers and immigrants began to spread across the globe, the surname "MOK" traveled with them. In the late 18th century, records show individuals with this surname in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), where they were involved in the spice trade and colonial administration. One such individual was Pieter Mok (1765-1832), a prominent merchant and landowner in Batavia (now Jakarta).
The 19th century saw the further spread of the "MOK" surname, with individuals bearing this name appearing in records from South Africa, where Dutch settlers had established colonies. One notable figure from this period was Johannes Mok (1812-1885), a Boer farmer and military leader who played a role in the Great Trek and the establishment of the Transvaal Republic.
In the 20th century, the "MOK" surname continued to be found in various parts of the world, particularly in countries with Dutch heritage or ties to the Netherlands. Some notable individuals with this surname include Piet Mok (1911-1998), a Dutch painter and sculptor known for his abstract expressionist works, and Theo Mok (1942-2018), a Dutch businessman and philanthropist who founded the Mok Foundation to support education and healthcare initiatives.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mok
Among Census respondents with the surname Mok, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mok 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 Mok surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.0% · 2,481
- White6.0% · 169
- Two or more races3.9% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 46
- Black or African American0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mok
Mok 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
#11,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,707
+573 bearers (+26.9%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 1,540 places
2020
#10,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,819
+112 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 792 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,137 | 2,134 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,597 | 2,707 | 0.92 | +573 bearers (+26.9%) | Up 1,540 places |
| 2020 | #10,805 | 2,819 | 0.94 | +112 bearers (+4.1%) | Up 792 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 Mok 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 | #11,597 | #10,805 | 6.8% |
| Count | 2,707 | 2,819 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.94 | 2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mok bearers went from 2,707 to 2,819 (+4.1% change). The surname moved up 792 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,597 to #10,805.
FAQ
Mok surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mok?
Name Census estimates that about 3,233 living Americans carry the surname Mok. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,017 residents.
How common is Mok?
Mok ranks #10,805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,819 people with the surname Mok. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,233), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Mok.
Has Mok become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mok went from 2,707 recorded bearers to 2,819. That is an increase of 112 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,597 to #10,805.
What does the Census say about the background of Mok?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mok, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Mok in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (2,481 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mok appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.0%), White (6.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Mok (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 Mok mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "ink," likely referring to an ancestor who worked as a calligrapher or ink maker. 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 Mok (0.94 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 Mok?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Mok on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.