Explore the Family Name Enoch
The meaning of Enoch
English, Welsh, African American, and African (mainly Nigeria): from the Middle English and Old French personal name Enoc (Enoch in the King James Bible), a Latinized rendering of Hebrew Ḥanok ‘experienced’ or ‘dedicated’. It was the name of a son of Cain and the father of Methuselah in the Book of Genesis (4:17 and 5:22), and the name of the author of three Books of the Apocrypha. As a popular personal name among post-Reformation Nonconformists, it also gave rise to some late surname formations in Wales. The surname is relatively common in Wales, but much rarer in England, where it is concentrated on the Warwickshire/Oxfordshire border, usually in the form Enock.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Enoch in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Enoch has seen a slight shift in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Enoch was ranked 9,265th and increased slightly to rank 9,578th in 2010, denoting a decrease in popularity by 3.38%. While the popularity rank decreased, the count of individuals with the Enoch surname increased from 3,236 in 2000 to 3,394 in 2010, an increase of 4.88%. The proportion of people with the surname per 100,000 also saw a minor decrease from 1.2 to 1.15.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,265 | #9,578 | -3.38% |
| Count | 3,236 | 3,394 | 4.88% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.2 | 1.15 | -4.17% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Enoch
The ethnicity distribution of the Enoch surname also shifted between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority of those with the Enoch surname identified as White (57.42%), followed by Black (37.98%). However, by 2010, while these two ethnic identities still held the majority, their percentages decreased to 54.80% and 36.83% respectively. During the same period, the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose significantly from 0.68% to 2.12%, a change of 211.76%. Meanwhile, those identifying as Hispanic almost doubled from 0.77% to 1.83%, marking a 137.66% increase. Both American Indian/Alaskan Native and those identifying with two or more races also saw increases in their proportions.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 57.42% | 54.8% | -4.56% |
| Black | 37.98% | 36.83% | -3.03% |
| Two or More Races | 1.64% | 2.86% | 74.39% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.68% | 2.12% | 211.76% |
| Hispanic | 0.77% | 1.83% | 137.66% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.51% | 1.56% | 3.31% |