2000
#4,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,736
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.50
Rare Last name
Judy
Derived from the male given name Jude, which is a variant of Judah, meaning "praised" in Hebrew.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,549 Americans carry the last name Judy. That puts it at #5,138 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,404 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Judy 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
7.5K
1 in 45,404
Census rank
#5,138
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,583 bearers of the surname Judy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5138th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Judy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Judy
The surname JUDY is believed to have originated from the French region of Normandy in the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old French word "jude" or "judeu," which means "Jew." This suggests that the name may have been initially applied to individuals or families of Jewish descent living in Normandy during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known records of the JUDY surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The entry "Judhael" is listed in the Domesday Book, which is believed to be an early variant spelling of the JUDY surname.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Robert Judy was recorded as a landowner in the county of Norfolk, England. He is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, an important census and tax record from the reign of King Edward I.
During the 14th century, the JUDY surname appeared in various historical documents across different regions of England. In 1379, a record shows a John Judy residing in the village of Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex.
One of the earliest known instances of the JUDY surname in Scotland can be traced back to the 16th century. A merchant named William Judy was recorded in Edinburgh in 1582, engaging in trade with various European countries.
In the 17th century, the JUDY surname gained prominence in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in colonial America was Thomas Judy, who arrived in Virginia from England in 1635.
Other notable individuals with the JUDY surname throughout history include:
1. Sir William Judy (1572-1646), an English lawyer and member of Parliament during the reign of King James I.
2. Sarah Judy (1692-1757), an early American settler and landowner in Pennsylvania.
3. John Judy (1773-1861), an American pioneer and frontiersman who explored the Rocky Mountains and the American West.
4. Henry M. Judy (1793-1851), an American politician who served as a United States Representative from Indiana.
5. Marguerite Judy (1898-1980), a French artist and painter known for her impressionist landscapes and still-life works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Judy
Among Census respondents with the surname Judy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Judy 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 Judy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 5,996
- Two or more races3.1% · 203
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 161
- Black or African American1.9% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Judy
Judy 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
#5,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,962
+226 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.36
Rank movement Down 251 places
2020
#5,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,583
-379 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.20
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,789 | 6,736 | 2.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,040 | 6,962 | 2.36 | +226 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 251 places |
| 2020 | #5,138 | 6,583 | 2.20 | -379 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 98 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 Judy 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 | #5,040 | #5,138 | -1.9% |
| Count | 6,962 | 6,583 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.36 | 2.20 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Judy bearers went from 6,962 to 6,583 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,040 to #5,138.
FAQ
Judy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Judy?
Name Census estimates that about 7,549 living Americans carry the surname Judy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,404 residents.
How common is Judy?
Judy ranks #5,138 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,583 people with the surname Judy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,549), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Judy.
Has Judy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Judy went from 6,962 recorded bearers to 6,583. That is a decrease of 379 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,040 to #5,138.
What does the Census say about the background of Judy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Judy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Judy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (5,996 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Judy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Judy (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 Judy mean?
Derived from the male given name Jude, which is a variant of Judah, meaning "praised" in Hebrew. 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 Judy (2.20 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 people have the surname Judy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.