2000
#7,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Fudge
A occupational surname for a maker or seller of fudge, a type of sweet confection.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,759 Americans carry the last name Fudge. That puts it at #7,691 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fudge 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 Fudge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 72,022
Census rank
#7,691
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,150 bearers of the surname Fudge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7691st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fudge, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fudge
The surname Fudge is an English occupational name derived from the Middle English word "fudge", which referred to a maker or seller of a type of rich, sweet confection. The name is believed to have originated in the 16th or 17th century, likely in the counties of Yorkshire or Lancashire, where the confectionery trade was prominent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fudge surname can be found in the parish registers of Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, where a William Fudge was mentioned in 1585. In 1642, a John Fudge was recorded in the Protestation Returns for Yorkshire, indicating the presence of the name during the English Civil War era.
The Fudge surname is also linked to various place names and older spellings of place names. For instance, the village of Fudge in Derbyshire may have contributed to the surname's development, as individuals from this location may have been referred to as "Fudge" or "de Fudge" in earlier times.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Fudge surname. One such figure was Samuel Fudge (1674-1745), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Worcester. Another was Eyre Coote Fudge (1755-1821), a British Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and the Anglo-Mysore Wars in India.
In the literary realm, Thomas Fudge (1776-1846) was an English poet and author known for his descriptive poetry and travel writings. Notably, the satirical poet Thomas Moore (1779-1852) used the pseudonym "Thomas Brown the Younger" to publish his humorous work "The Fudge Family in Paris" in 1818.
Moving into the 20th century, Isaac Fudge (1893-1971) was an American professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in the Negro leagues during the 1920s and 1930s. More recently, Sir Samuel Fudge (1914-2006) was a British politician and civil servant who served as the Chairman of the Sports Council and the Horserace Betting Levy Board.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the Fudge surname throughout history, showcasing its longevity and influence in various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fudge
Among Census respondents with the surname Fudge, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fudge 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 Fudge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.0% · 2,491
- Black or African American31.3% · 1,300
- Two or more races5.1% · 212
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fudge
Fudge 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
#7,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,407
+250 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 152 places
2020
#7,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,150
-257 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,393 | 4,157 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,545 | 4,407 | 1.49 | +250 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 152 places |
| 2020 | #7,691 | 4,150 | 1.39 | -257 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 146 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 Fudge 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 | #7,545 | #7,691 | -1.9% |
| Count | 4,407 | 4,150 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.39 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fudge bearers went from 4,407 to 4,150 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 146 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,545 to #7,691.
FAQ
Fudge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fudge?
Name Census estimates that about 4,759 living Americans carry the surname Fudge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,022 residents.
How common is Fudge?
Fudge ranks #7,691 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,150 people with the surname Fudge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,759), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Fudge.
Has Fudge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fudge went from 4,407 recorded bearers to 4,150. That is a decrease of 257 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,545 to #7,691.
What does the Census say about the background of Fudge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fudge, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.0%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Fudge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.0% (2,491 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fudge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.0%), Black (31.3%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Fudge (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 Fudge mean?
A occupational surname for a maker or seller of fudge, a type of sweet confection. 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 Fudge (1.39 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 Fudge?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Fudge on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.