2000
#6,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,713
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Loudermilk
A surname referring to a person who operated a mill or someone with a loud voice.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,737 Americans carry the last name Loudermilk. That puts it at #7,726 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,357 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loudermilk 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
4.7K
1 in 72,357
Census rank
#7,726
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,131 bearers of the surname Loudermilk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7726th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loudermilk, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Black (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loudermilk
The surname Loudermilk has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where it may have been derived from the German words "laut" (meaning loud or noisy) and "mühle" (meaning mill). This combination suggests that the name may have referred to a person who lived near or operated a particularly loud or noisy mill, likely powered by water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Loudermilk can be found in a 15th-century land registry document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a certain "Hans Lautermilch" was listed as a landholder. This spelling variation, "Lautermilch," offers insight into the name's evolution over time and its potential connection to the German word "lauter," meaning clear or pure.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various church records from the region, including the baptismal record of "Peter Lautermilch" in the town of Oberkirch in 1543. This suggests that the name had become well-established in the area by that time.
As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, it underwent further variations in spelling and pronunciation. In the 17th century, records from the city of Cologne mention a "Johannes Lautermilch," while in the 18th century, a "Johann Lautermilch" is documented in the town of Bamberg.
One notable individual with the surname Loudermilk was Wilhelm Lautermilch (1838-1912), a German mathematician and astronomer known for his contributions to celestial mechanics and the study of the motion of comets. Another prominent figure was Johann Lautermilch (1665-1723), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
As German immigration to North America increased in the 19th century, the name Loudermilk began to appear in various records and documents in the United States and Canada. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname in the Americas was Jacob Loudermilk (1789-1869), a farmer and landowner in Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the surname Loudermilk include Charles Loudermilk (1927-2011), an American businessman and real estate developer; Dale Loudermilk (born 1964), a former American football player; and Gil Loudermilk (1929-1986), an American songwriter and musician best known for co-writing the hit song "Tobacco Road."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loudermilk
Among Census respondents with the surname Loudermilk, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Black (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Loudermilk 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 Loudermilk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 3,509
- Two or more races5.7% · 236
- Black or African American5.4% · 224
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loudermilk
Loudermilk 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
#6,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,845
+132 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 302 places
2020
#7,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,131
-714 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 802 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,622 | 4,713 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,924 | 4,845 | 1.64 | +132 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 302 places |
| 2020 | #7,726 | 4,131 | 1.38 | -714 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 802 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 Loudermilk 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 | #6,924 | #7,726 | -11.6% |
| Count | 4,845 | 4,131 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.38 | -15.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loudermilk bearers went from 4,845 to 4,131 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 802 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,924 to #7,726.
FAQ
Loudermilk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loudermilk?
Name Census estimates that about 4,737 living Americans carry the surname Loudermilk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,357 residents.
How common is Loudermilk?
Loudermilk ranks #7,726 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,131 people with the surname Loudermilk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,737), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Loudermilk.
Has Loudermilk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loudermilk went from 4,845 recorded bearers to 4,131. That is a decrease of 714 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,924 to #7,726.
What does the Census say about the background of Loudermilk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loudermilk, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Black (5.4%). 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 Loudermilk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (3,509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loudermilk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Black (5.4%). 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 Loudermilk (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 Loudermilk mean?
A surname referring to a person who operated a mill or someone with a loud voice. 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 Loudermilk (1.38 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 Loudermilk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.