# Locke (surname)

Locke, sometimes spelled Lock or Lok, is a common Western surname of Germanic origin. It is also a Scottish surname and a romanization of the Chinese surname Luo.

## Origin

Locke has multiple origins and meanings, including:
* from Old English, as an occupational surname for locksmiths or lock keepers;
* from Old English, Dutch, German, and English, as a toponym for one who had residence near an enclosure, particularly one that could be locked; a barrier, particularly that on a river; or a bridge;
* from Old English and Old High German, as a name for one with curly hair.
* from a romanization of "Lok", the Cantonese pronunciation of the Chinese surname Luo 駱/骆.
Locke is also the surname of a Scottish clan, with historic roots and a family seat in Peeblesshire. Variations on this surname include Loch, Lock, Lochlair, and Locklair, among others.

## People with this surname

* Alain LeRoy Locke (1885–1954), African American educator, writer, and philosopher
* David Locke (disambiguation), multiple people
* Dean Jewett Locke (1823–1887), physician, founder of Lockeford, California
* Edwin A. Locke (born 1938), American psychologist known for the goal-setting theory developed with G. Latham
* Gary Locke (disambiguation), multiple people
* Geneva Locke (born 1988), Canadian actress
* George Locke (1870–1937), Canadian librarian
* Greg Locke (born 1976), American pastor, preacher, author, and executive film producer
* Harry M. Locke (1902-1974), American politician
* Harvey Locke (born 1959), Canadian conservationist
* Jeff Locke (disambiguation), multiple people
* Joe Locke (born 2003), a Manx actor
* Joe Locke (musician) (born 1959), an American jazz vibraphonist and composer
* John Locke (disambiguation), multiple people
* Josef Locke (1917–1999), an Irish tenor
* Joseph Locke (1805–1860), English civil engineer, particularly associated with railway projects
* Joseph Locke, penname of Ray Garton, an American author
* Keith Locke (born 1944), New Zealand Member of Parliament for the Green Party of Aotearoa, New Zealand
* Kevin Locke (disambiguation), multiple people
* Kimberley Locke (born 1978), competitor in second season of American Idol
* Les Locke (1934–c. 1996), Scottish footballer with Queens Park Rangers
* Lewis Locke (1835–1920), American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.
* Matthew Locke (disambiguation), multiple people
* Michael K. Locke (1952–2014), American politician
* P. J. Locke (born 1997), American football player
* Powhatan B. Locke (c. 1828–1868), Justice of the Territorial Supreme Court of Nevada
* Richard Adams Locke (1800–1871), 19th-century journalist and creator of the Great Moon Hoax
* Richard M. Locke (born 1959), American political scientist
* Ron Locke (1939–2024), American baseball player
* Sondra Locke (1944–2018), American actress
* Spencer Locke (born 1991), American actress
* William Locke (disambiguation), multiple people

## Fictional characters

* Locke, a pseudonym of Peter Wiggin's in novels by Orson Scott Card
* Locke, father of Knuckles the Echidna in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic books
* Locke Cole, a character in the video game Final Fantasy VI (FF3 in North America)
* Adam Locke, Nick "Havoc" Parker's commander in the video game Command & Conquer: Renegade
* Chōjin Locke, the main character of the manga Locke the Superman
* Jameson Locke, a character in the video game Halo 5: Guardians, Fireteam Osiris leader, former ONI operative
* John Locke (Lost), in the television series Lost
* Vernon Locke, supporting character, contractor, and current heist co-ordinator of Payday 2 and Payday 3
* Surname of several characters in the comic book series Locke & Key and the TV series Locke & Key (TV series)