2000
#1,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,438
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.43
Uncommon Last name
Polk
Derived from the Irish surname Pólk, meaning a person from Pollok (a place in Renfrewshire, Scotland).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,261 Americans carry the last name Polk. That puts it at #1,345 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,714 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Polk 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
29K
1 in 11,714
Census rank
#1,345
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 25,517 bearers of the surname Polk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1345th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Polk, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.7%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Polk
The surname Polk is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "poll" meaning "a creek or stream". It first emerged in the areas of Lancashire and Cheshire in northern England during the 13th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de Pol". This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a small stream or creek. Over time, the spelling evolved to Polk, Polke, and Polek.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to various place names containing the word "poll", such as Polleshull (now Poulshot) in Wiltshire and Poletorn (now Poulton) in Cheshire. These place names likely contributed to the development of the surname Polk.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Polk, who lived in the 14th century and served as a member of the English Parliament in 1388. Another notable figure was Thomas Polk (1732-1794), a Scottish-American surveyor and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the surname was James K. Polk (1795-1849), the 11th President of the United States. He was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and served as president from 1845 to 1849. During his tenure, he oversaw the acquisition of vast territories through the Mexican-American War, including Texas, California, and portions of the present-day American Southwest.
Other historical figures with the surname Polk include:
1. Leonidas Polk (1806-1864), an American Episcopal bishop and Confederate general during the American Civil War.
2. William Polk (1758-1834), an American soldier and politician who served as a member of the Continental Congress.
3. Trusten Polk (1811-1876), an American politician and diplomat who served as the 16th Governor of Missouri.
4. William M. Polk (1844-1919), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Polk family fortune in Tennessee.
While the surname Polk has its roots in England, it eventually spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, where it became more prevalent due to notable figures like President James K. Polk.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Polk
Among Census respondents with the surname Polk, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.7%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Polk 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 Polk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.7% · 11,915
- White43.8% · 11,168
- Two or more races4.7% · 1,203
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 811
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 262
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 158
Timeline
Historical Census data for Polk
Polk 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
#1,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,094
+1,656 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 9.19
Rank movement Down 26 places
2020
#1,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,517
-1,577 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 8.54
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,270 | 25,438 | 9.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,296 | 27,094 | 9.19 | +1,656 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 26 places |
| 2020 | #1,345 | 25,517 | 8.54 | -1,577 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 49 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 Polk 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 | #1,296 | #1,345 | -3.8% |
| Count | 27,094 | 25,517 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 9.19 | 8.54 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Polk bearers went from 27,094 to 25,517 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,296 to #1,345.
FAQ
Polk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Polk?
Name Census estimates that about 29,261 living Americans carry the surname Polk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,714 residents.
How common is Polk?
Polk ranks #1,345 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 25,517 people with the surname Polk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Polk.
Has Polk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Polk went from 27,094 recorded bearers to 25,517. That is a decrease of 1,577 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,296 to #1,345.
What does the Census say about the background of Polk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Polk, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.7%. The next largest groups are White (43.8%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Polk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.7% (11,915 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Polk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.7%), White (43.8%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Polk (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 Polk mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Pólk, meaning a person from Pollok (a place in Renfrewshire, Scotland). 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 Polk (8.54 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 Americans have the surname Polk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.