*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Rock

* As an English surname, from the noun rock. Compare Roach. * Also as an English surname, misdivision of Middle English atter oke (“at the oak”). Compare Nock. * As an English occupational surname, from Old Norse rokkr (

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A topographic surname from Middle English for someone living near a rock or an oak ( atter + oke ). · A male given name transferred from the surname. · A coastal village in St Minver Lowlands parish, north Cornwall (OS grid ref SW9375). · A hamlet in Membury parish, East Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref ST2702).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* As an English surname, from the noun rock. Compare Roach. * Also as an English surname, misdivision of Middle English atter oke (“at the oak”). Compare Nock. * As an English occupational surname, from Old Norse rokkr (“distaff”). Compare Rocker. * As an Irish surname, translated from names like Mac Conchairge (“son of the hound of the rock”), from cú + carraig, see also McHarg. * As a German surname Röck, variant of the personal name Rocco, see Roche. * Also as a German surname, from the noun Rock (“skirt gown”). * As a French surname, shortened from Roquebrune, Rocquebrune (see Rocque) or Larock. Compare Roch.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionatterenm
  • Derivation mentionrokkrnon · distaff

This page abbreviates 17 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "atter"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English atter"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "rokkr",
        "t": "distaff"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse rokkr (“distaff”)"
    },
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      },
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      "expansion": "German"
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "French"
    }
  ],
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      "rock",
      "rock#English"
    ],
    [
      "Roach",
      "Roach#English"
    ],
    [
      "atter",
      "atter#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "oke",
      "oke#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Nock",
      "Nock#English"
    ],
    [
      "rokkr",
      "rokkr#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "Rocker",
      "Rocker#English"
    ],
    [
      "Mac",
      "Mac#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "Conchairge",
      "Conchairge#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "cú",
      "cú#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "carraig",
      "carraig#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "McHarg",
      "McHarg#English"
    ],
    [
      "Röck",
      "Röck#German"
    ],
    [
      "Rocco",
      "Rocco#English"
    ],
    [
      "Roche",
      "Roche#English"
    ],
    [
      "Rock",
      "Rock#German"
    ],
    [
      "Roquebrune",
      "Roquebrune#French"
    ],
    [
      "Rocquebrune",
      "Rocquebrune#French"
    ],
    [
      "Rocque",
      "Rocque#English"
    ],
    [
      "Larock",
      "Larock#English"
    ],
    [
      "Roch",
      "Roch#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A topographic surname from Middle English for someone living near a rock or an oak ( atter + oke ).",
        "A male given name transferred from the surname.",
        "A coastal village in St Minver Lowlands parish, north Cornwall (OS grid ref SW9375).",
        "A hamlet in Membury parish, East Devon district, Devon (OS grid ref ST2702)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "3ac48a2c8c812adf860af9e79c90d252c377630f7fc373c6def234a3367949ff",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0e342b35e4697d9354d0c4ec118d19285f6d98a03476cbb14e6036a975623ee9",
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Rock →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Um9jaw