2000
#12,976
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,166
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Cuddy
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of a type of wooden container or bucket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,350 Americans carry the last name Cuddy. That puts it at #14,071 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cuddy 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cuddy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,853
Census rank
#14,071
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,049 bearers of the surname Cuddy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14071st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cuddy
The surname Cuddy has its origins in Ireland and Scotland, derived from the Gaelic word 'cuddy' meaning a small horse or pony. It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who worked with horses or had a small stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 16th century in the Scottish Highlands, where it was spelled as 'Cuiddy' or 'Cuiddie'. The Cuddy family was particularly prominent in the regions of Aberdeenshire and Inverness-shire.
In Ireland, the name is found in various spellings such as 'Cuddy', 'Cuddey', and 'Cuddie', with records dating back to the late 17th century. The Cuddy surname was prevalent in counties like Donegal, Tyrone, and Fermanagh.
The Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England, does not contain any references to the surname Cuddy, suggesting that the name likely originated and evolved in the Celtic regions of Scotland and Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was John Cuddy, born around 1620 in County Donegal, Ireland. He was a prominent landowner and played a role in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.
Another notable figure was James Cuddy (1770-1845), a Scottish minister and writer from Aberdeenshire. He authored several religious works and served as a pastor in various parishes.
In the 19th century, Richard Cuddy (1819-1899) was an Irish-born politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Canada. He was instrumental in promoting the rights of the Métis people.
The name Cuddy also appears in literary works, such as the character Andrew Cuddie in Sir Walter Scott's novel "Old Mortality" (1816), set in Scotland during the 17th century.
Thomas Cuddy (1855-1920) was an Australian politician and trade unionist who played a significant role in the labor movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the surname Cuddy is relatively uncommon today, it holds a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in the Celtic regions of the British Isles, where it has been documented for several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cuddy
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cuddy 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 Cuddy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,902
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 63
- Two or more races2.6% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cuddy
Cuddy 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
#13,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,193
+27 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 814 places
2020
#14,071
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,049
-144 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 281 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,976 | 2,166 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,790 | 2,193 | 0.74 | +27 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 814 places |
| 2020 | #14,071 | 2,049 | 0.69 | -144 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 281 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 Cuddy 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 | #13,790 | #14,071 | -2.0% |
| Count | 2,193 | 2,049 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.69 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cuddy bearers went from 2,193 to 2,049 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 281 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,790 to #14,071.
FAQ
Cuddy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cuddy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,350 living Americans carry the surname Cuddy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,853 residents.
How common is Cuddy?
Cuddy ranks #14,071 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,049 people with the surname Cuddy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,350), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cuddy.
Has Cuddy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cuddy went from 2,193 recorded bearers to 2,049. That is a decrease of 144 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,790 to #14,071.
What does the Census say about the background of Cuddy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Cuddy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,902 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cuddy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Cuddy (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 Cuddy mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of a type of wooden container or bucket. 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 Cuddy (0.69 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 have the last name Cuddy?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Cuddy? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.