2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Luedde
A surname likely derived from a German place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Luedde. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luedde 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Luedde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luedde, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luedde
The surname Luedde has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "lud," which means "people" or "clan." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person or family associated with a particular tribe or community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Luedde can be found in the parish records of the town of Niederndorf, located in the region of Lower Saxony, dating back to the late 1500s. Variations in spelling, such as "Luddeke" and "Ludde," were common during that period, reflecting regional dialects and scribal practices.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various documents from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a historical state within the Holy Roman Empire. Notable figures bearing the Luedde surname during this time include Johann Luedde, a merchant and landowner born in 1628, and Anna Luedde, a prominent figure in the local Lutheran church community in the 1670s.
As the centuries progressed, the Luedde family spread across various regions of Germany. In the 18th century, records show the name present in the city of Hamburg, where Christian Luedde, a skilled shipwright, was born in 1723. He gained recognition for his contributions to the city's thriving maritime industry.
The 19th century saw the Luedde name represented in various professions and fields. One notable figure was Friedrich Luedde, a renowned philosopher and educator born in 1801 in the town of Osnabrück. His writings on ethics and moral philosophy garnered widespread recognition during his lifetime.
Another prominent individual was Johanna Luedde, born in 1832 in the city of Hannover. She was a pioneering advocate for women's rights and education, establishing several schools and organizations dedicated to empowering women in the region.
As the 20th century dawned, the Luedde name continued to be carried by individuals who made significant contributions to various fields. One such figure was Max Luedde, born in 1895 in Berlin, who achieved acclaim as a renowned architect and urban planner, responsible for designing several iconic buildings and urban landscapes across Germany.
Throughout its rich history, the surname Luedde has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, each leaving their mark on the tapestry of German culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luedde
Among Census respondents with the surname Luedde, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Luedde 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 Luedde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 110
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luedde
Luedde 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+13 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,235 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+7 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 4,235 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 4,152 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 Luedde 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 | #146,201 | #142,049 | 2.8% |
| Count | 113 | 120 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luedde bearers went from 113 to 120 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 4,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #142,049.
FAQ
Luedde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luedde?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Luedde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Luedde?
Luedde ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Luedde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Luedde.
Has Luedde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luedde went from 113 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 7 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Luedde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luedde, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Black (2.5%). 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 Luedde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luedde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Black (2.5%). 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 Luedde (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 Luedde mean?
A surname likely derived from a German place name. 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 Luedde (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 are called Luedde?
You can see how many people are called Luedde on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.