Find out how popular the last name Dudley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dudley.

Dudley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dudley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dudley in America

Dudley is the 972nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dudley surname appeared 35,781 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Dudley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dudley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dudley

The surname Dudley originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is a habitational name, derived from the place name Dudley, which comes from the Old English words 'dud' meaning 'hill' and 'leah' meaning 'a clearing in a wood'.

The Domesday Book of 1086 records a place called 'Duddelei' in Worcestershire, which is believed to be the earliest recorded form of the name. This suggests that the Dudley surname was already in use by this time.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Dudley surname was Roger de Dudley, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Crown.

The Dudley family rose to prominence in the late Middle Ages. John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (c.1504-1553), was a prominent figure during the reign of Edward VI and was executed for his involvement in the attempt to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne.

Another notable Dudley was Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (1532-1588), a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. He was a renowned courtier, diplomat, and military commander, and was rumored to be a potential suitor for the Queen.

Sir Christopher Dudley (1532-1597) was a notable explorer and navigator. He was the first Englishman to lead an expedition in search of the Northwest Passage in 1576-1578.

The name Dudley has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Dudley Castle, a medieval castle located in the town of Dudley in the West Midlands.

Other notable historical figures with the surname Dudley include Sir Robert Dudley (1573-1649), a mathematician and navigator who established the first British colony in the Caribbean, and Dud Dudley (1599-1684), an English metallurgist and entrepreneur who pioneered the use of coal in the smelting of iron.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dudley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dudley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dudley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dudley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dudley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dudley, please contact us.

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