2000
#5,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,294
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Mudd
An English occupational surname referring to someone who gathered or sold mud or clay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,128 Americans carry the last name Mudd. That puts it at #5,419 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,086 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mudd 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 Mudd with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,086
Census rank
#5,419
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,216 bearers of the surname Mudd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5419th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mudd, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mudd
The surname MUDD is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "mudd" or "mud," which referred to a muddy or swampy area. It is believed to have first emerged in the 12th or 13th century as a topographic name, given to individuals who lived near or worked in marshy or muddy regions.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname MUDD can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. For example, the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1279, where one Robert de la Mudde is mentioned. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 list a John atte Mudde.
In the 15th century, the MUDD surname began appearing in various parish records across England. One notable individual from this period was William Mudd, who was born around 1450 in Hallingbury, Essex. He is recorded as a landowner and farmer in the area.
As the surname spread throughout England, it also evolved into different spellings, such as Mudde, Muddes, and Muddie. These variations often reflected regional dialects and pronunciation differences.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the MUDD surname. One of the most famous was Henry Mudd, a physician from Maryland who was implicated in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Although his role in the conspiracy is still debated, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Another prominent figure was Thomas Mudd, born in 1670 in Worcestershire, England. He was a prominent merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London.
In the literary world, Lewis Mudd (1670-1738) was an English playwright and poet who authored several works, including the tragedy "The Unhappy Pair" and the comedy "The Pretenders."
The MUDD surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Muddleswood in Staffordshire and Muddyford in Gloucestershire. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "mudd" and may have influenced the surname's origins or development.
While the MUDD surname is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a rich history spanning centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, from farmers and merchants to physicians and writers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mudd
Among Census respondents with the surname Mudd, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Mudd 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 Mudd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 5,357
- Black or African American7.1% · 439
- Two or more races3.2% · 197
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 166
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mudd
Mudd 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
#5,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,391
+97 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 328 places
2020
#5,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,216
-175 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,116 | 6,294 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,444 | 6,391 | 2.17 | +97 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 328 places |
| 2020 | #5,419 | 6,216 | 2.08 | -175 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 25 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 Mudd 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 | #5,444 | #5,419 | 0.5% |
| Count | 6,391 | 6,216 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 2.08 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mudd bearers went from 6,391 to 6,216 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,444 to #5,419.
FAQ
Mudd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mudd?
Name Census estimates that about 7,128 living Americans carry the surname Mudd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,086 residents.
How common is Mudd?
Mudd ranks #5,419 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,216 people with the surname Mudd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mudd.
Has Mudd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mudd went from 6,391 recorded bearers to 6,216. That is a decrease of 175 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,444 to #5,419.
What does the Census say about the background of Mudd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mudd, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Mudd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (5,357 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mudd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Mudd (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 Mudd mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who gathered or sold mud or clay. 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 Mudd (2.08 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 have the surname Mudd?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.