Explore the Family Name Bock
The meaning of Bock
1. German: nickname for a man with some fancied resemblance to a he-goat, Middle High German boc, or a topographic or habitational name referring to a house distinguished by the sign of a goat. This surname is also found in some other European countries, e.g. in France (Alsace and Lorraine) and Czechia (compare 5 below). 2. German (Böck): see Boeck. 3. Dutch: variant of Bok. Compare De Bock. 4. English: variant of Buck. 5. Americanized or Germanized form of Czech, Slovenian, and Croatian Bok. 6. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Bock ‘he-goat’. 7. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 白, see Bai 1. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Erwin, Heinz, Manfred, Otto, Eldor, Ernst, Ewald, Reinhold, Wolf, Alois, Claus.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Bock in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Bock has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, Bock was ranked as the 2476th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had slipped to 2691st place, a decrease in popularity of approximately 8.68%. However, the actual number of individuals carrying the Bock surname remained relatively stable, with a marginal increase of 0.1% from 13,369 in 2000 to 13,382 in 2010. The proportion of people named Bock per 100,000 population also decreased slightly by 8.47%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,476 | #2,691 | -8.68% |
| Count | 13,369 | 13,382 | 0.1% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.96 | 4.54 | -8.47% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Bock
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Bock saw some changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. People identifying as White made up the majority of individuals with this surname, though their percentage dropped slightly from 95.65% to 94.13%. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or American Indian and Alaskan Native saw increases in their percentages, with the largest increase observed among Asian/Pacific Islanders, whose representation doubled from 0.62% to 1.15%. The proportion of individuals identifying as two or more races also increased slightly, while the percentage of those identifying as Black saw a small decrease.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.65% | 94.13% | -1.59% |
| Hispanic | 1.79% | 2.53% | 41.34% |
| Two or More Races | 1.19% | 1.36% | 14.29% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.62% | 1.15% | 85.48% |
| Black | 0.54% | 0.49% | -9.26% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.22% | 0.34% | 54.55% |
Bock ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Bock is French & German, which comprises 35.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (32.8%) and Eastern European (8.2%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| French & German | 35.9% |
| British & Irish | 32.8% |
| Eastern European | 8.2% |
| Other | 23.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Bock
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Bock have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 73.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 73.50% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 73.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 73.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 73.00% |
What Bock haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Bock is E-V13, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-V13 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-Z282, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wolf, Wolfe, Schultz, Hoffman, Jacobs, Adam, Kern, Frederick, Wolff, Schmidt.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Bock surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Your paternal lineage may be linked to early Balkan migrants
Haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a migrated in large numbers from the Balkans into Europe about 4,500 years ago, triggered by the beginning of the Balkan Bronze Age. During this migration, members of haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a mainly followed rivers connecting the southern Balkans to northern-central Europe. Technological leaps often cause lineages to grow dramatically in numbers and in geographic range. The development of Bronze technology may have given men in haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a a competitive advantage over other men, causing haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a to proliferate and become widespread.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Bock have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Bock" Surname 37.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Bock" Surname 29.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Bock" Surname 19.4%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Bock" Surname 19.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Bock?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Bock are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition