2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pudelko
A Polish surname meaning "small box" or "case."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Pudelko. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pudelko 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Pudelko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pudelko, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pudelko
The surname Pudelko originated in Poland during the late medieval period. It derives from the Polish word "pudełko" meaning "box" or "small container." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with boxes or containers, such as a carpenter or merchant.
In the 15th century, the name Pudelko appeared in various town records across central and eastern Poland, particularly in the regions of Mazovia and Lesser Poland. Variations of the spelling included Pudełko, Pudełka, and Pudełki.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pudelko can be found in a 1492 taxation register from the town of Sandomierz, where a certain "Jan Pudelko" is listed as a landowner. Another notable early bearer of the name was Marcin Pudelko, a merchant from Krakow who is mentioned in a trade agreement dated 1521.
During the 16th century, the Pudelko name spread to other parts of Poland, including the regions of Greater Poland and Silesia. In 1567, a "Katarzyna Pudelko" is listed as a resident of the town of Poznań in a church record.
One of the most prominent historical figures with the Pudelko surname was Andrzej Pudelko, a Polish nobleman and military commander who served under King Sigismund III Vasa in the early 17th century. He played a significant role in the Polish-Swedish War and the Polish-Muscovite War, and was awarded the title of Starosta of Radzyń for his service.
Other notable individuals with the Pudelko surname include:
1. Tomasz Pudelko (1687-1751), a Polish theologian and author of several religious texts.
2. Jan Pudelko (1756-1832), a Polish painter and art teacher known for his landscapes and portraiture.
3. Agnieszka Pudelko (1832-1899), a Polish philanthropist and social reformer who founded several charitable organizations in Warsaw.
4. Stanisław Pudelko (1869-1941), a Polish engineer and architect who designed several prominent buildings in Kraków and Lviv.
5. Zofia Pudelko (1903-1986), a Polish actress and theater director who was a leading figure in the avant-garde theater movement of the 1920s and 1930s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pudelko
Among Census respondents with the surname Pudelko, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pudelko 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 Pudelko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 108
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pudelko
Pudelko 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,033 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 10,033 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 6,598 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 Pudelko 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 | #156,044 | #149,446 | 4.2% |
| Count | 104 | 110 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pudelko bearers went from 104 to 110 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 6,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #149,446.
FAQ
Pudelko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pudelko?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Pudelko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Pudelko?
Pudelko ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Pudelko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Pudelko.
Has Pudelko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pudelko went from 104 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Pudelko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pudelko, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Pudelko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pudelko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Black (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Pudelko (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 Pudelko mean?
A Polish surname meaning "small box" or "case." 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 Pudelko (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 Americans have the surname Pudelko?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.