2000
#1,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,336
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.80
Uncommon Last name
Caudill
A Norman French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of warm outerwear, derived from "caudel" meaning "cape."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,620 Americans carry the last name Caudill. That puts it at #1,957 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,622 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caudill surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,622
Census rank
#1,957
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,982 bearers of the surname Caudill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1957th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caudill, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caudill
The surname Caudill is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day France and England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "caudel," which means "warm drink" or "caudle." This name likely referred to an occupation or profession related to the preparation or serving of warm beverages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caudill can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and taxable resources in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a person named Richard Caudell, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the Caudill surname.
In the 13th century, records show a William Caudel residing in Buckinghamshire, England. During this time, the name was also found in various forms, such as Caudell, Caudwell, and Caudray, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
As time passed, the Caudill surname spread across different parts of Europe and eventually made its way to the Americas. One notable bearer of this name was John Caudill, who was born in Virginia in the late 17th century and played a significant role in the early settlement of the American frontier.
Another individual of historical importance was William Caudill (1809-1874), a prominent American politician and lawyer from Kentucky. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and was a vocal advocate for the Union during the American Civil War.
In the realm of literature, the name Caudill is associated with Rebecca Caudill (1899-1985), an American author and teacher renowned for her children's books, including the Newbery Honor-winning novel "Tree of Freedom."
Other notable figures with the Caudill surname include Harry Milton Caudill (1922-1990), an American author and historian known for his works on the Appalachian region, and William Waitman Caudill (1857-1926), a West Virginia politician who served as a United States Senator.
While the Caudill name has undergone various spelling changes throughout history, its origins can be traced back to the Old French word "caudel," reflecting the rich cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caudill
Among Census respondents with the surname Caudill, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Caudill bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Caudill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 16,687
- Two or more races3.4% · 619
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 428
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 84
- Black or African American0.5% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caudill
Caudill appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,822
+486 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 6.38
Rank movement Down 114 places
2020
#1,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,982
-840 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 6.02
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,799 | 18,336 | 6.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,913 | 18,822 | 6.38 | +486 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 114 places |
| 2020 | #1,957 | 17,982 | 6.02 | -840 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 44 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Caudill surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,913 | #1,957 | -2.3% |
| Count | 18,822 | 17,982 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 6.38 | 6.02 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caudill bearers went from 18,822 to 17,982 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,913 to #1,957.
FAQ
Caudill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caudill?
Name Census estimates that about 20,620 living Americans carry the surname Caudill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,622 residents.
How common is Caudill?
Caudill ranks #1,957 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,982 people with the surname Caudill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,620), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Caudill.
Has Caudill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caudill went from 18,822 recorded bearers to 17,982. That is a decrease of 840 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,913 to #1,957.
What does the Census say about the background of Caudill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caudill, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Caudill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (16,687 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caudill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Caudill (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Caudill mean?
A Norman French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of warm outerwear, derived from "caudel" meaning "cape." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Caudill (6.02 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Caudill?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.