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

Judah, 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 Judah surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Judah in America

Judah is the 21895th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Judah surname appeared 1,186 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Judah.

We can also compare 2010 data for Judah 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 Judah

The surname Judah has its origins in the biblical Hebrew name Yehudah, meaning "praised" or "celebrated." It is derived from the ancient Hebrew word "yadah," which means "to praise" or "to give thanks." The name Judah is closely associated with the biblical figure Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob and the progenitor of the Israelite tribe of Judah.

The surname Judah is believed to have been adopted by Jews who were expelled from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition in the late 15th century. Many of these exiled Jews sought refuge in other parts of Europe and the Middle East, bringing with them their Hebrew names, including Judah.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Judah appears in the 16th century, when it was mentioned in the records of the Jewish community in Venice, Italy. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Giudah" or "Iuda" due to the influence of Italian and Latin spelling conventions.

In the 17th century, the surname Judah was found in various Jewish communities across Europe, including England, France, and the Netherlands. One notable figure from this time was Judah Loew ben Bezalel (1525-1609), a renowned rabbi and scholar from Prague, who is remembered for his contributions to Jewish mysticism and his legendary creation of the Golem, a mythical figure in Jewish folklore.

In the 18th century, the Judah surname became more widespread, and several prominent individuals bore this name. One such person was Judah Touro (1775-1854), a Jewish-American philanthropist from New Orleans, who made significant contributions to various charitable causes and is remembered for his generosity.

Another notable figure was Judah P. Benjamin (1811-1884), a lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.

In the 19th century, the Judah surname continued to be found in various parts of the world, including the United States and the United Kingdom. One prominent individual with this name was Judah L. Magnes (1877-1948), a American rabbi, scholar, and leader in the Zionist movement, who played a crucial role in the establishment of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Other notable individuals with the surname Judah include Judah Halevi (c. 1075-1141), a renowned Jewish philosopher and poet from Spain, and Judah Maccabee (died c. 160 BCE), a Jewish priest and military leader who led the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Judah

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

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 Judah 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 Judah 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 Judah was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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