2000
#72,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 250
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Hudlin
An English name likely derived from a pet form of the given name Hugh or Hudd.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 334 Americans carry the last name Hudlin. That puts it at #72,089 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,026,211 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hudlin 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
334
1 in 1,026,211
Census rank
#72,089
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
291
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 291 bearers of the surname Hudlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 72089th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hudlin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hudlin
The surname "HUDLIN" is believed to have originated in England, deriving from a locational name for someone who lived near a ridge or hillside. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hod" meaning "hut" or "shelter" and "hyll" meaning "hill" or "ridge."
One of the earliest known recorded instances of the surname "HUDLIN" can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named "Radulfus de Hodleia" is mentioned as holding lands in Herefordshire. This suggests that the name was already in use in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as "Hodlyne," "Hodelyn," and "Hodlun" in records from counties like Worcestershire and Herefordshire. These variations likely reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
A notable early bearer of the surname was Sir John Hudleston (c. 1515 - 1583), an English landowner and Member of Parliament who served during the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. He was a staunch Catholic and was briefly imprisoned for his religious beliefs during the Elizabethan era.
Another historical figure with the surname "HUDLIN" was Richard Hudleston (c. 1570 - 1655), an English Benedictine monk and missionary who spent much of his life working in Spain and Italy. He was known for his writings on religious subjects and his support for the English Catholic community during a period of religious turmoil.
In the 17th century, the surname was also found in various spellings like "Hudleston," "Hudliston," and "Hudlyngton" in records from counties like Yorkshire and Lancashire. One notable bearer from this period was John Hudleston (c. 1608 - 1696), an English Catholic priest and writer who was a vocal critic of the Protestant Reformation.
Other historical figures with the surname "HUDLIN" include William Hudleston (1828 - 1909), an English geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossil mollusks, and Alfred Hudleston (1869 - 1951), a British artist and illustrator known for his work in children's books and magazines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hudlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Hudlin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hudlin 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 Hudlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.7% · 133
- White42.3% · 123
- Two or more races6.5% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hudlin
Hudlin 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
#70,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 278
+28 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 2,063 places
2020
#72,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 291
+13 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 1,686 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,466 | 250 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #70,403 | 278 | 0.09 | +28 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,063 places |
| 2020 | #72,089 | 291 | 0.10 | +13 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 1,686 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 Hudlin 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 | #70,403 | #72,089 | -2.4% |
| Count | 278 | 291 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.10 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hudlin bearers went from 278 to 291 (+4.7% change). The surname moved down 1,686 positions in the national ranking, going from #70,403 to #72,089.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hudlin
FAQ
Hudlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hudlin?
Name Census estimates that about 334 living Americans carry the surname Hudlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,026,211 residents.
How common is Hudlin?
Hudlin ranks #72,089 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 291 people with the surname Hudlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (334), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hudlin.
Has Hudlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hudlin went from 278 recorded bearers to 291. That is an increase of 13 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #70,403 to #72,089.
What does the Census say about the background of Hudlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hudlin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.7%. The next largest groups are White (42.3%) and Two or More Races (6.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hudlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.7% (133 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hudlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.7%), White (42.3%), Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Hudlin (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 Hudlin mean?
An English name likely derived from a pet form of the given name Hugh or Hudd. 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 Hudlin (0.10 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 Hudlin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.