2000
#11,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,484
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Jude
A surname of Hebrew origin referring to a person from the biblical Tribe of Judah.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,150 Americans carry the last name Jude. That puts it at #11,048 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,811 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jude 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 Jude with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 108,811
Census rank
#11,048
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,747 bearers of the surname Jude in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11048th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jude, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jude
The surname JUDE has its origins in the Middle English and Old French words Judeu and Ju, derived from the Latin Iudaeus meaning "Jew". It is believed that the name was first adopted as a surname by Jewish families in England and France during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname JUDE date back to the late 12th century in England, where it appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Richard Jude, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the JUDE surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire in England. It is thought that the name may have originated in these areas due to the presence of Jewish communities and settlements.
In the medieval period, the JUDE surname was often associated with individuals involved in trade, finance, and scholarly pursuits. One notable figure was Sir Saul Jude (1330-1398), a wealthy merchant and financier from London who served as a financial advisor to King Edward III.
The JUDE surname also has a rich history in Germany, where it was often spelled as Jude or Juden. One prominent German bearer of the name was Samuel Jude (1592-1668), a renowned rabbi and Talmudic scholar from Frankfurt.
In France, the surname JUDE was sometimes spelled as Judé or Judée. One notable French bearer was Étienne Judé (1570-1645), a renowned physician and philosopher from Burgundy.
Other historical figures with the JUDE surname include Sir Walter Jude (1450-1521), an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Henry VIII, and Sir Thomas Jude (1610-1675), an English politician and member of the Long Parliament during the English Civil War.
While the JUDE surname has its roots in the Jewish community, over time it has been adopted by people of various backgrounds and religious affiliations. However, its origins and historical significance remain closely tied to the Jewish diaspora and the cultural and intellectual contributions of Jewish communities throughout Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jude
Among Census respondents with the surname Jude, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Jude 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 Jude surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.6% · 2,048
- Black or African American15.7% · 430
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 147
- Two or more races2.8% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jude
Jude 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
#11,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,662
+178 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 172 places
2020
#11,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,747
+85 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 719 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,595 | 2,484 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,767 | 2,662 | 0.90 | +178 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 172 places |
| 2020 | #11,048 | 2,747 | 0.92 | +85 bearers (+3.2%) | Up 719 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 Jude 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 | #11,767 | #11,048 | 6.1% |
| Count | 2,662 | 2,747 | 3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.92 | 2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jude bearers went from 2,662 to 2,747 (+3.2% change). The surname moved up 719 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,767 to #11,048.
FAQ
Jude surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jude?
Name Census estimates that about 3,150 living Americans carry the surname Jude. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,811 residents.
How common is Jude?
Jude ranks #11,048 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,747 people with the surname Jude. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,150), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Jude.
Has Jude become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jude went from 2,662 recorded bearers to 2,747. That is an increase of 85 (+3.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,767 to #11,048.
What does the Census say about the background of Jude?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jude, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). 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 Jude in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.6% (2,048 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jude appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.6%), Black (15.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). 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 Jude (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 Jude mean?
A surname of Hebrew origin referring to a person from the biblical Tribe of Judah. 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 Jude (0.92 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 Americans have the surname Jude?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.