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

Ludington, 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 Ludington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ludington in America

Ludington is the 21068th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ludington surname appeared 1,247 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ludington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ludington 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 Ludington

The surname Ludington originated in England, with its roots tracing back to the 11th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "lud" meaning loud or loud-voiced, and "ing" denoting a meadow or enclosure, essentially translating to "the loud meadow."

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a settlement called "Ludingtone" in Nottinghamshire, which is believed to be the original place from which the surname emerged.

The earliest recorded bearer of the surname was William de Ludington, who lived in the village of Ludington in Nottinghamshire during the 13th century. Records from 1273 mention him as a landowner and tenant of the local lord.

Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Luddington, Ludyngton, and Ludyngton. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes who recorded the name.

One notable historical figure bearing the Ludington surname was Colonel Henry Ludington (1738-1817), a prominent American militia officer during the Revolutionary War. He played a crucial role in the defense of Connecticut and is known for his daring night ride to muster troops during the Danbury Raid in 1777.

Another notable bearer of the name was Milton Ludington (1886-1962), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Ludington News Company, a successful magazine distribution company. He was also a generous donor to educational institutions and cultural organizations.

Abigail Ludington (1776-1857), also known as the "Female Paul Revere," was a young woman who rode through the night in 1777 to alert militia forces of an impending British attack during the Revolutionary War. Her brave actions contributed to the American victory at the Battle of Ridgefield.

In the 19th century, William Henry Ludington (1825-1901) was a prominent American lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1870 to 1876.

The name Ludington has also been associated with several place names, such as the city of Ludington in Mason County, Michigan, which was named after the family of James Ludington, one of the area's early settlers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ludington

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!