2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Judelson
A Germanic surname derived from the given name Judel, itself a pet form of the name Judah.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Judelson. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Judelson 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Judelson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Judelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Judelson
The surname Judelson is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, derived from the Hebrew personal name Judah. It originated in regions of Eastern Europe, particularly Poland and Russia, where large Jewish communities existed from the Middle Ages onward.
The name Judelson is a patronymic form, meaning "son of Judel." Judel itself is a diminutive form of the name Judah, which comes from the Hebrew name Yehudah, meaning "praised" or "celebrated." This biblical name traces its roots to the ancient Israelite tribe of Judah.
Early records of the surname Judelson can be found in various Polish and Russian documents dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. The name appears in synagogue records, census lists, and other administrative documents from that period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Judelson was Yitzchak Judelson, a prominent rabbi who lived in the city of Lublin, Poland, in the late 16th century. He was known for his scholarly works and his leadership in the Jewish community.
Another notable figure was Chaim Judelson, a prominent merchant and philanthropist who lived in the city of Vilnius, Lithuania, in the 18th century. He was known for his generous support of Jewish educational institutions and charitable organizations.
In the 19th century, the name Judelson can be found in various records from the Russian Empire, where many Jews lived in the Pale of Settlement, a region designated for Jewish settlement. One example is Leib Judelson, a prominent writer and journalist who was born in the town of Zhytomyr, Ukraine, in 1828 and played a significant role in the development of modern Yiddish literature.
Another noteworthy individual was Sarah Judelson, a pioneering educator and activist who was born in the city of Minsk, Belarus, in 1867. She was instrumental in establishing Jewish schools and promoting women's rights in the Russian Empire.
The surname Judelson also spread to other parts of the world as a result of Jewish migration and immigration. One example is David Judelson, a prominent artist and sculptor who was born in New York City in 1925 to Russian-Jewish immigrants.
While the surname Judelson is primarily associated with the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora, it has become a part of diverse cultural and geographic landscapes, reflecting the rich history and resilience of the Jewish people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Judelson
Among Census respondents with the surname Judelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Judelson 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 Judelson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Judelson
Judelson appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,280 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 9,280 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 Judelson 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 | #157,234 | #147,954 | 5.9% |
| Count | 103 | 112 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Judelson bearers went from 103 to 112 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 9,280 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #147,954.
FAQ
Judelson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Judelson?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Judelson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Judelson?
Judelson ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 112 people with the surname Judelson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Judelson.
Has Judelson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Judelson went from 103 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 9 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Judelson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Judelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Judelson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Judelson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (8.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Judelson (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 Judelson mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the given name Judel, itself a pet form of the name 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 Judelson (0.04 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 Judelson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.