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

Judson, 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 Judson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Judson in America

Judson is the 7524th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Judson surname appeared 4,422 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Judson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Judson 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 Judson

The surname Judson has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English given name "Judde," a diminutive form of the name "Judocus" or "Jodocus," which was a Latinized version of the Germanic name "Josse." This name was popular among early Christians and was borne by several saints.

The surname Judson likely emerged as a patronymic, meaning "son of Judde." It first appeared in records in the 13th century, with early spellings including "Judson," "Juddeson," and "Judsone." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, which mentions a "Willelmus Juddesone."

During the medieval period, the Judson family was primarily concentrated in the counties of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk in eastern England. Some early references to the name can be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for these counties, which were tax records compiled between the 13th and 16th centuries.

One notable early bearer of the surname was William Judson, who was born in the late 15th century and served as the Mayor of Norwich, a prominent city in Norfolk, in 1528. Another early figure was Adoniram Judson (1788-1850), an American missionary and influential figure in the establishment of Protestant missions in Burma (now Myanmar).

In the 17th century, the Judson family had connections to several place names in England, such as Judsons Grove in Lincolnshire and Judson's Farm in Hertfordshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating areas where members of the Judson family lived or held land.

Other notable individuals with the Judson surname include Edward Judson (1789-1846), an American Baptist minister and writer; Olivia Judson (born 1962), a British evolutionary biologist and author; and Montagu Judson (1892-1963), a British actor and film director.

While the Judson surname has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to North America and other English-speaking countries. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English given name "Judde" and its subsequent development as a patronymic surname in the eastern counties of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Judson

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

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

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

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