2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pudas
A surname of Finnish origin, possibly derived from a placename or occupational term.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Pudas. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pudas 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Pudas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pudas, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pudas
The surname Pudas has its origins in Finland, emerging in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Finnish word "puda," which refers to a type of spruce or pine tree. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname associated with individuals who worked with these types of trees, such as lumberjacks or woodworkers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pudas can be found in the parish records of Oulu, a city located in northern Finland. In 1583, a man named Matti Pudas was mentioned in these records, indicating the presence of the surname in the region during that time period.
The name Pudas also appears in historical documents from the 17th century, including land registry records and tax rolls. For example, in 1642, a man named Heikki Pudas was listed as a landowner in the village of Pudasjärvi, which is located in the present-day municipality of the same name in northern Finland.
One notable individual with the surname Pudas was Juho Pudas (1803-1871), a Finnish farmer and entrepreneur who played a significant role in the development of the Pudasjärvi region. He established several businesses, including a sawmill and a flour mill, and was instrumental in promoting agricultural practices in the area.
Another person of historical significance with the surname Pudas was Kaarina Pudas (1875-1956), a Finnish writer and educator. She was born in Pudasjärvi and wrote several books about the region, including a historical novel titled "Kuusamolaisia" (People of Kuusamo), which was published in 1925.
In the 19th century, the surname Pudas also appeared in various records from other parts of Finland, suggesting that individuals with this name had migrated to other regions. For instance, in 1845, a man named Juho Pudas was listed as a resident of the town of Lohja, located in southern Finland.
Throughout its history, the surname Pudas has undergone slight variations in spelling, such as Pudas, Pudasi, and Puudas. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, firmly rooted in the Finnish language and the country's geographical and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pudas
Among Census respondents with the surname Pudas, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Pudas 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 Pudas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 99
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pudas
Pudas 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,531 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-12 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,658 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,531 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 7,658 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 Pudas 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 | #148,347 | #156,005 | -5.2% |
| Count | 111 | 99 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pudas bearers went from 111 to 99 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 7,658 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #156,005.
FAQ
Pudas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pudas?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Pudas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Pudas?
Pudas ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Pudas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Pudas.
Has Pudas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pudas went from 111 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Pudas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pudas, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Pudas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pudas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Pudas (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 Pudas mean?
A surname of Finnish origin, possibly derived from a placename or occupational term. 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 Pudas (0.03 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 last name Pudas?
See how many people have the last name Pudas on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.