2000
#1,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.52
Uncommon Last name
Pollock
A Scottish locational surname referring to someone from a place called Pollock, derived from the Gaelic words poll and oc.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,551 Americans carry the last name Pollock. That puts it at #1,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pollock 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 Pollock with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,415
Census rank
#1,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,282 bearers of the surname Pollock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pollock, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pollock
The surname Pollock has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "pol" and "loch," which together mean "a pool or small body of water." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a small lake or pond.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Pollock can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One such entry mentions John de Pollok, a landowner from the area now known as Renfrewshire.
In the 14th century, the Pollock family established themselves as a prominent clan in the area around Glasgow. The Pollok House, built in the late 18th century, served as their ancestral seat and is now a popular tourist attraction.
During the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Pollocks were known supporters of Robert the Bruce. In 1314, Sir Robert Pollock fought alongside the king at the Battle of Bannockburn, which proved to be a decisive victory for the Scots against the English.
Over the centuries, the name has been spelled in various ways, including Pollok, Pollokis, and Pollokke. The spelling "Pollock" became more standardized in the 17th century.
Noteworthy individuals with the surname Pollock include:
1. Sir John Pollock (1786-1872), a British Field Marshal who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
2. Walter Herries Pollock (1850-1926), a Scottish sculptor best known for his statue of Queen Victoria in Kensington Gardens, London.
3. Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement.
4. Graeme Pollock (born 1944), a South African cricketer who was one of the finest batsmen of his era.
5. Andy Pollock (1915-2009), an American baseball player who spent his entire career with the St. Louis Browns/Baltimore Orioles.
The Pollock surname has a rich history, deeply rooted in Scotland's past, and has been carried by individuals of great significance across various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pollock
Among Census respondents with the surname Pollock, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Pollock 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 Pollock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 18,802
- Black or African American7.1% · 1,581
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 957
- Two or more races3.0% · 673
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 173
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 96
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pollock
Pollock 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
#1,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,310
+316 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 7.90
Rank movement Down 123 places
2020
#1,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,282
-1,028 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 7.45
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,420 | 22,994 | 8.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,543 | 23,310 | 7.90 | +316 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 123 places |
| 2020 | #1,570 | 22,282 | 7.45 | -1,028 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 27 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 Pollock 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 | #1,543 | #1,570 | -1.7% |
| Count | 23,310 | 22,282 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.90 | 7.45 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pollock bearers went from 23,310 to 22,282 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,543 to #1,570.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Pollock
FAQ
Pollock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pollock?
Name Census estimates that about 25,551 living Americans carry the surname Pollock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,415 residents.
How common is Pollock?
Pollock ranks #1,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,282 people with the surname Pollock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,551), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Pollock.
Has Pollock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pollock went from 23,310 recorded bearers to 22,282. That is a decrease of 1,028 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,543 to #1,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Pollock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pollock, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Pollock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (18,802 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pollock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Pollock (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 Pollock mean?
A Scottish locational surname referring to someone from a place called Pollock, derived from the Gaelic words poll and oc. 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 Pollock (7.45 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 Pollock?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.