Locke

Locke is a surname of English origin. The most widely known bearer of the name is John Locke (1632–1704), an English philosopher and physician whose ideas helped shape modern liberalism and epistemology. Locke argued that human knowledge originates in experience and reflection, opposing the view of innate ideas. He proposed that the mind at birth is a blank slate (tabula rasa) and that ideas are formed through sensory input and mental processing. In political philosophy, his Two Treatises of Government contended that legitimate political authority derives from the consent of the governed and that individuals have natural rights to life, liberty, and property. His defenses of religious toleration and the separation of church and state influenced later developments in constitutionalism and liberal thought in Britain and the Atlantic world.

Beyond the philosopher, Locke serves as a family name carried by various individuals across fields such as politics, science, literature, and the arts. The surname is also associated with geographic locations, institutions, and other entities named in honor of people bearing the name. In encyclopedic usage, Locke may thus refer to an array of people, places, or things connected by the surname, rather than a single subject. The name’s prominence in philosophy and its broader cultural reach have contributed to its recognition in academic and public discourse.