2000
#3,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,091
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.74
Uncommon Last name
Judge
An occupational surname referring to an official who presided over court proceedings or delivered judgments.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,791 Americans carry the last name Judge. That puts it at #3,399 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,069 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Judge 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 Judge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,069
Census rank
#3,399
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,282 bearers of the surname Judge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3399th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Judge, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Judge
Among Census respondents with the surname Judge, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Judge 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 Judge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 7,488
- Black or African American15.4% · 1,580
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 463
- Two or more races3.4% · 347
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 337
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Judge
Judge 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
#3,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,453
+362 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.54
Rank movement Down 162 places
2020
#3,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,282
-171 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 3.44
Rank movement Up 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,252 | 10,091 | 3.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,414 | 10,453 | 3.54 | +362 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 162 places |
| 2020 | #3,399 | 10,282 | 3.44 | -171 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 15 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 Judge 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 | #3,414 | #3,399 | 0.4% |
| Count | 10,453 | 10,282 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.54 | 3.44 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Judge bearers went from 10,453 to 10,282 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,414 to #3,399.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Judge
FAQ
Judge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Judge?
Name Census estimates that about 11,791 living Americans carry the surname Judge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,069 residents.
How common is Judge?
Judge ranks #3,399 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,282 people with the surname Judge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,791), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Judge.
Has Judge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Judge went from 10,453 recorded bearers to 10,282. That is a decrease of 171 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,414 to #3,399.
What does the Census say about the background of Judge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Judge, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Judge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (7,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Judge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.8%), Black (15.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Judge (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 Judge mean?
An occupational surname referring to an official who presided over court proceedings or delivered judgments. 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 Judge (3.44 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 Judge?
You can see how many people are called Judge on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.