Judge
A gender-neutral name with Hebrew roots meaning "one who oversees or arbitrates".
Name Census estimates that about 1,662 living Americans carry the first name Judge. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Judge today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Judge births was 1919 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Judge. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Judge with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 206,230 Americans
Peak year
1919
65 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,802
Tracked since 1880
Census
Judge in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,302 people with the first name Judge, which placed it at #10,304 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#10,304
National first-name rank
People counted
1.3K
1,302 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
47.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Judge
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Judge is White at 47.2%. The next largest groups are Black (39.1%) and Hispanic (6.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Judge described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Judge at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.2% · 615
- Black or African American39.1% · 509
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 80
- Two or more races4.9% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 12
Popularity
Judge: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Judge from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 549 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Judge remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Judge by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Judge during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Judges live
The SSA's state-level files cover 12 states and territories. Alabama, Texas, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Judge, while Tennessee, California, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 95 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Judge
The name Judge is a unique and intriguing one, with a rich history spanning across various cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to the Old French word "jugier," which meant "to judge" or "to decide." This term finds its roots in the Latin word "judicare," derived from the word "judex," meaning "a judge."
In the Middle Ages, the name Judge became associated with individuals who held positions of authority and responsibility, particularly in the legal and judicial realms. It was a title bestowed upon those who presided over courts and made judgments on legal matters. This connection to the administration of justice and upholding the rule of law contributed to the name's enduring significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Judge can be found in the form of Judex, a Christian martyr from the 4th century. He was a Roman soldier who was executed for his faith during the persecution of Christians under the rule of Emperor Diocletian. This early association with martyrdom and religious devotion added a layer of reverence to the name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Judge, leaving their mark on various fields. One such figure was Judge Zephaniah Swift (1759-1823), an American jurist and author who played a pivotal role in shaping the legal system of Connecticut. His authoritative work, "A System of the Laws of the State of Connecticut," became a seminal text in American jurisprudence.
Another prominent bearer of the name Judge was Judge Edward Burtenshaw Sugden (1781-1875), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland. His contributions to the legal profession and his role in shaping British law and policy during the 19th century solidified his reputation as a distinguished figure in legal history.
In the realm of literature, Judge Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger's iconic novel "The Catcher in the Rye," has left an indelible mark on popular culture. Although a fictional character, Holden's moniker has become synonymous with the struggles of adolescence and the search for authenticity in a world perceived as hypocritical.
Furthermore, Judge Reinhold (born 1957) is an American actor best known for his roles in films such as "Beverly Hills Cop" and "The Santa Clause" franchise. His unique first name has helped him stand out in the entertainment industry and has become a part of his distinctive persona.
The name Judge carries a rich legacy, reflecting its association with authority, justice, and the pursuit of truth. From its roots in ancient languages to its enduring presence in various spheres of human endeavor, Judge remains a name that commands respect and evokes a sense of responsibility and fairness.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Judge
People
Judge + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Judge as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Judge: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Judge?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,662 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Judge going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 206,230 US residents.
Is Judge a common name?
We classify Judge as "Rare". It ranks above 92.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,777 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Judge most popular?
The single biggest year for Judge was 1919, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Judge is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Judge in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,302 people with the name Judge, or 0.43 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,304 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Judge in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Judge?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Judge leans strongly male. 1,286 people counted with this name were male (98.1%), compared with 25 female bearers (1.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Judge?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Judge is White at 47.2%. The next largest groups are Black (39.1%) and Hispanic (6.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Judge most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Judge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.2% (615 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Judge in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Judge a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Judge in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Judge still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Judge in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Judge can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Judge?
You can see how many people share the name Judge on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.