Given name & surname · also English
Locke
“man of the forest”·“from the fortress”
Locke is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “man of the forest” and “from the fortress”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “man of the forest” and “from the fortress”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with English and German naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Locke through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,063
- 1,063 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 74 babies
- 2025
- 65
- #2,198 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −7%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 65 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,198 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 7.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 74 in 2016. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 830 as a first name in 2020; 25,742 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Locke’s family of names
Locke has a related form in Lachlan. Locke has a related form in Lock. In English usage, Locke as a surname has a related form in Lock.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Locke
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Locke, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Woods
“a woman of the forest” · “a man of the forest”
98% boys · 2% girls
Bentley
“from the meadow of bent grass”
95% boys · 5% girls
Jett
“resembling the jet-black lustrous gemstone”
98% boys · 2% girls
Ashton
“from the ash-tree town”
95% boys · 5% girls
Hudson
“one who is adventurous; an explorer” · “the son of Hugh; from the river”
99% boys · 1% girls
Hockley
“from the high meadow”
>99% boys
Ashbourne
“ash-tree”
88% boys · 12% girls
Stockwell
“from the spring near the tree stumps”
>99% boys