2000
#8,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,729
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Ludlow
A locational surname referring to a person from Ludlow, a town in Shropshire, England, meaning "loud waters."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,465 Americans carry the last name Ludlow. That puts it at #8,135 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ludlow 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ludlow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,765
Census rank
#8,135
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,894 bearers of the surname Ludlow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8135th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ludlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ludlow
The surname Ludlow originated in England. It is derived from the Old English words "lud" meaning loud or famous, and "hlaw" meaning a hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill.
Ludlow is also the name of a market town in Shropshire, England. The town's name can be traced back to the 11th century, when it was recorded as "Lude-lowe" in the Domesday Book of 1086. It's likely that some early bearers of the surname adopted it from this place name.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire in 1198, where a William de Ludlow is mentioned. This indicates that the surname was already in use by the late 12th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Ludlow surname was associated with several notable individuals. Sir Henry Ludlow (c.1355-1398) was a Member of Parliament for Shropshire in the late 14th century. Another prominent figure was Edmund Ludlow (1617-1692), an English republican and regicide who signed the death warrant of King Charles I during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, Gabriel Ludlow (1663-1723) was a Church of England clergyman and author who wrote several theological works. A century later, John Malcolm Ludlow (1821-1911) was a British social reformer and co-founder of the Working Men's College in London.
Another individual of note was Sir Edmund Ludlow-Hewitt (1825-1917), a British lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the High Court of Judicature. His surname reflects the combination of Ludlow with the surname Hewitt through marriage.
While the Ludlow name has its origins in England, it has also been carried by individuals in other parts of the world, often through migration and settlement. However, its roots can be traced back to the Old English words and the historic market town that gave rise to this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ludlow
Among Census respondents with the surname Ludlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ludlow 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 Ludlow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 3,285
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.8% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 162
- Two or more races3.8% · 149
- Black or African American2.1% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ludlow
Ludlow 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
#8,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,856
+127 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 351 places
2020
#8,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,894
+38 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 399 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,183 | 3,729 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,534 | 3,856 | 1.31 | +127 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 351 places |
| 2020 | #8,135 | 3,894 | 1.30 | +38 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 399 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 Ludlow 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 | #8,534 | #8,135 | 4.7% |
| Count | 3,856 | 3,894 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.30 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ludlow bearers went from 3,856 to 3,894 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 399 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,534 to #8,135.
FAQ
Ludlow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ludlow?
Name Census estimates that about 4,465 living Americans carry the surname Ludlow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,765 residents.
How common is Ludlow?
Ludlow ranks #8,135 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 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 3,894 people with the surname Ludlow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,465), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 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 Ludlow.
Has Ludlow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ludlow went from 3,856 recorded bearers to 3,894. That is an increase of 38 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,534 to #8,135.
What does the Census say about the background of Ludlow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ludlow, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.8%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Ludlow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (3,285 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ludlow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.8%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Ludlow (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 Ludlow mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from Ludlow, a town in Shropshire, England, meaning "loud waters." 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 Ludlow (1.30 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 are called Ludlow?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Ludlow on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.