2000
#1,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,532
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.50
Uncommon Last name
Judd
A surname of English origin, derived from the personal name Jordan or Judah, or referring to someone from Jude.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,112 Americans carry the last name Judd. That puts it at #2,016 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,042 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Judd 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 Judd with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,042
Census rank
#2,016
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,539 bearers of the surname Judd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2016th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Judd, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Judd
The surname Judd is of Old English origin, derived from the personal name Judd, a diminutive form of the name Jordan. It is believed to have originated in the areas of Devon and Cornwall in South West England during the early medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Judd can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Judd in the county of Devon. This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the late 11th century.
The name Judd is also closely associated with the town of Juddridge, located in the county of Dorset. This place name is derived from the Old English words "Juddes" and "hrycg," meaning "Judd's ridge," indicating that the surname may have been connected to this particular location.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name Judd was Sir John Judd, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the county of Somerset. He is mentioned in several historical records from that period.
During the 16th century, the name Judd gained further recognition with the birth of Sir Andrew Judd (1492-1558), a prominent English merchant and benefactor who founded the Tonbridge School in Kent. He is considered one of the most influential figures with this surname.
Another notable individual was Thomas Judd (1516-1590), an English Protestant clergyman and writer who authored several religious works during the Reformation period.
In the 17th century, Samuel Judd (1622-1694) was a renowned English nonconformist minister and author who played a significant role in the Puritan movement.
The 18th century saw the prominence of Sylvanus Judd (1789-1860), an American author and educator who published several popular works on grammar and rhetoric.
Throughout history, the surname Judd has been associated with various notable individuals across different fields, including politics, literature, and education, reflecting its long-standing presence and significance within English-speaking communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Judd
Among Census respondents with the surname Judd, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Judd 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 Judd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 15,058
- Black or African American5.2% · 906
- Two or more races4.0% · 701
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 599
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 183
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Judd
Judd 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
#1,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,110
+578 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 6.14
Rank movement Down 112 places
2020
#2,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,539
-571 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.87
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,879 | 17,532 | 6.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,991 | 18,110 | 6.14 | +578 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 112 places |
| 2020 | #2,016 | 17,539 | 5.87 | -571 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 25 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 Judd 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 | #1,991 | #2,016 | -1.3% |
| Count | 18,110 | 17,539 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.14 | 5.87 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Judd bearers went from 18,110 to 17,539 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,991 to #2,016.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Judd
FAQ
Judd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Judd?
Name Census estimates that about 20,112 living Americans carry the surname Judd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,042 residents.
How common is Judd?
Judd ranks #2,016 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,539 people with the surname Judd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Judd.
Has Judd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Judd went from 18,110 recorded bearers to 17,539. That is a decrease of 571 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,991 to #2,016.
What does the Census say about the background of Judd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Judd, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Judd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (15,058 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Judd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Black (5.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Judd (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 Judd mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from the personal name Jordan or Judah, or referring to someone from Jude. 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 Judd (5.87 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 Judd?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Judd at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.