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

Judge, 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 Judge surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Judge in America

Judge is the 3414th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Judge surname appeared 10,453 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Judge.

We can also compare 2010 data for Judge 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 Judge

The surname Judge is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "jugge," which in turn comes from the Latin word "judex," meaning "judge" or "one who judges." This surname emerged in the 12th century and was initially an occupational name given to those who served as judges or arbitrators in legal proceedings.

The name Judge is believed to have first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176, where a person named Richard le Jugge is mentioned.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Judge was often associated with individuals who held positions of authority and legal expertise. It was not uncommon for the name to be used interchangeably with other occupational surnames such as "Law" or "Justice."

One of the earliest documented bearers of the surname Judge was Sir William Judge, who lived in the late 13th century and served as a Justice of the Common Pleas in England. Another notable individual was Robert Judge (c. 1490-1556), an English clergyman and Lord Chancellor of Ireland during the reign of King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the surname Judge can be found in various historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1524, which mention a Thomas Judge. Additionally, the name appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1672, where a John Judge is listed.

Other notable individuals with the surname Judge throughout history include:

1. Samuel Judge (1612-1688), an English nonconformist minister and author.
2. Thomas Judge (1772-1848), an English-born judge and politician who served as the first Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island, Canada.
3. Aretas Akers-Douglas, 1st Viscount Chilston (1851-1926), a British judge and politician whose birth name was Aretas Akers.
4. William Quan Judge (1851-1896), an Irish-American mystic and one of the founders of the Theosophical Society.
5. John Judge (1938-2016), an American researcher and author known for his work on conspiracy theories and alternative history.

Over time, the surname Judge has evolved and taken on various spellings, including Jugge, Jugger, and Juge, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences. However, the name has maintained its connection to the legal profession and judiciary throughout its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Judge

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

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

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

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