2000
#5,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,719
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.12
Rare Last name
Dudek
A surname of Polish origin, derived from the word "dudek," meaning "hoopoe," a bird with a distinctive crown of feathers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,996 Americans carry the last name Dudek. That puts it at #6,262 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,164 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dudek 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 Dudek with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 57,164
Census rank
#6,262
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,229 bearers of the surname Dudek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6262nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dudek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dudek
The surname Dudek is of Polish origin, deriving from the Polish word "dudek," which means "hoopoe," a type of bird. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages and is thought to have originated as a nickname for someone who bore a resemblance to the hoopoe or had an association with this bird.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dudek can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Poloniae," a collection of Polish historical documents from the 12th century. In this record, a person named "Dudek de Cracovia" (Dudek from Krakow) was mentioned, suggesting the name's presence in the region of Krakow during that time period.
Over the centuries, the name Dudek has been documented in various Polish records and manuscripts. It is believed to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Krakow, Poznan, and Silesia, which were historically part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Dudek throughout history is Jan Dudek (1551-1629), a Polish Catholic priest and theologian who served as a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Another prominent figure was Aleksander Dudek (1854-1932), a Polish painter and artist who was renowned for his landscapes and portraiture.
In the 19th century, a Polish-American family named Dudek settled in the city of Chicago, Illinois, where they established a successful business in the construction industry. One of their descendants, Stanley Dudek (1918-2007), became a notable architect and urban planner, responsible for several iconic buildings in the Chicago area.
Another individual of note is Jerzy Dudek (born 1973), a former Polish professional football player who played as a goalkeeper for several clubs, including Liverpool F.C. in the English Premier League. He was part of the Liverpool team that won the UEFA Champions League in 2005.
While the surname Dudek has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other countries due to migration and immigration. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in Polish culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dudek
Among Census respondents with the surname Dudek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Dudek 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 Dudek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 4,945
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 128
- Two or more races2.0% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 37
- Black or African American0.2% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dudek
Dudek 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
#6,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,519
-200 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 624 places
2020
#6,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,229
-290 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,573 | 5,719 | 2.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,197 | 5,519 | 1.87 | -200 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 624 places |
| 2020 | #6,262 | 5,229 | 1.75 | -290 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 65 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 Dudek 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 | #6,197 | #6,262 | -1.0% |
| Count | 5,519 | 5,229 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.75 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dudek bearers went from 5,519 to 5,229 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,197 to #6,262.
FAQ
Dudek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dudek?
Name Census estimates that about 5,996 living Americans carry the surname Dudek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,164 residents.
How common is Dudek?
Dudek ranks #6,262 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,229 people with the surname Dudek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,996), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Dudek.
Has Dudek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dudek went from 5,519 recorded bearers to 5,229. That is a decrease of 290 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,197 to #6,262.
What does the Census say about the background of Dudek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dudek, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Dudek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (4,945 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dudek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (2.4%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Dudek (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 Dudek mean?
A surname of Polish origin, derived from the word "dudek," meaning "hoopoe," a bird with a distinctive crown of feathers. 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 Dudek (1.75 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 common is the surname Dudek?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Dudek? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.