2000
#8,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,467
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Luedtke
A Germanic occupational surname derived from the Middle Low German words "lüt" (little) and "teke" (coop), referring to a poultry farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,010 Americans carry the last name Luedtke. That puts it at #8,979 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,475 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Luedtke 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
4.0K
1 in 85,475
Census rank
#8,979
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,497 bearers of the surname Luedtke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8979th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Luedtke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Luedtke
The surname Luedtke originates from Germany, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Low German word "lüd," which translates to "people" or "folk," suggesting a connection to a community or region.
The name Luedtke was initially found in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas of Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Early records indicate that the name was often associated with settlements or villages, implying a connection to a specific location or family estate.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Luedtke can be found in the Hanseatic League records from the 14th century. The Hanseatic League was a powerful economic alliance of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe, and the presence of the name in these records suggests that the Luedtkes were involved in trade or commerce during that period.
The earliest known bearer of the name Luedtke was Hans Luedtke, a merchant from the city of Lübeck, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Johann Luedtke, a prominent lawyer and judge in the city of Hamburg, who lived from 1612 to 1678.
In the 18th century, the name Luedtke appeared in various historical records from the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, which was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. One such example is Friedrich Luedtke, a landowner and nobleman born in 1734, whose family estate was located near the town of Wismar.
During the 19th century, the name Luedtke gained more widespread recognition with the rise of prominent figures in various fields. One such individual was Carl Luedtke, a German painter and lithographer who lived from 1809 to 1892 and was known for his landscape and genre paintings.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name was August Luedtke, a German engineer and inventor born in 1840. He is credited with developing several innovative agricultural machinery designs, including a threshing machine and a hay tedder, which revolutionized farming practices in the late 19th century.
Over the centuries, the name Luedtke has undergone various spelling variations, such as Lüdtke, Lüdeke, and Lüdecke, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations within Germany. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, reflecting its deep-rooted connection to the German heritage and cultural identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Luedtke
Among Census respondents with the surname Luedtke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Luedtke 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 Luedtke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 3,265
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 97
- Two or more races2.6% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Luedtke
Luedtke 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
#9,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,607
+140 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 334 places
2020
#8,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,497
-110 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,727 | 3,467 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,061 | 3,607 | 1.22 | +140 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 334 places |
| 2020 | #8,979 | 3,497 | 1.17 | -110 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 82 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 Luedtke 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 | #9,061 | #8,979 | 0.9% |
| Count | 3,607 | 3,497 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.17 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Luedtke bearers went from 3,607 to 3,497 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,061 to #8,979.
FAQ
Luedtke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Luedtke?
Name Census estimates that about 4,010 living Americans carry the surname Luedtke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,475 residents.
How common is Luedtke?
Luedtke ranks #8,979 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,497 people with the surname Luedtke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,010), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Luedtke.
Has Luedtke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Luedtke went from 3,607 recorded bearers to 3,497. That is a decrease of 110 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,061 to #8,979.
What does the Census say about the background of Luedtke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Luedtke, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Luedtke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (3,265 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Luedtke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Luedtke (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 Luedtke mean?
A Germanic occupational surname derived from the Middle Low German words "lüt" (little) and "teke" (coop), referring to a poultry farmer. 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 Luedtke (1.17 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 Luedtke?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.