2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ludiker
A surname of Dutch origin, potentially derived from "Ludike," meaning "little people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Ludiker. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ludiker 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Ludiker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ludiker, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ludiker
The surname Ludiker is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a derivative of the Old German word "lud" meaning "people" or "folk," combined with the suffix "-iker," which was commonly used to denote a person's occupation or place of origin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ludiker can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Lubecensis, a collection of medieval documents from the city of Lübeck in northern Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in several entries, suggesting that individuals with this surname were present in the region during that time.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Hans Ludiker (c. 1420-1489) was a respected merchant and member of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial alliance that dominated maritime trade in Northern Europe. His business dealings and influence extended throughout the Baltic region.
During the 16th century, a notable individual named Johann Ludiker (c. 1530-1598) was a renowned theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Germany. He authored several influential treatises and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
In the 17th century, the Ludiker family had established a presence in the region of Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. Records from this period mention a Jacob Ludiker (1612-1678), who was a prominent landowner and civic leader in the town of Tübingen.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Ludiker (1758-1832), a German philosopher and educator who lived during the Age of Enlightenment. He was a proponent of educational reforms and wrote extensively on the importance of educating children from an early age.
As the centuries progressed, the Ludiker surname spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with variations in spelling emerging in different regions, such as Ludiker, Lüdiker, or Lüdiker. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the ancient Germanic roots and the early medieval period in Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ludiker
Among Census respondents with the surname Ludiker, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ludiker 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 Ludiker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 90
- Two or more races8.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ludiker
Ludiker 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+14 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,751 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-14 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 4,751 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 12,832 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 Ludiker 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 | #140,157 | #152,989 | -9.2% |
| Count | 119 | 105 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ludiker bearers went from 119 to 105 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 12,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #152,989.
FAQ
Ludiker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ludiker?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Ludiker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Ludiker?
Ludiker ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Ludiker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ludiker.
Has Ludiker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ludiker went from 119 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Ludiker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ludiker, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Ludiker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ludiker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Two or More Races (8.6%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Ludiker (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 Ludiker mean?
A surname of Dutch origin, potentially derived from "Ludike," meaning "little people." 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 Ludiker (0.04 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 share the surname Ludiker?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.