2000
#103,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Radd
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "red clearing" or "red meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Radd. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Radd 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Radd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Radd, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Black (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Radd
The surname RADD is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that may have referred to a clearing or a rede, an older English term for a reed-covered area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname RADD can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which mention a Walter Radde. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the West Midlands region of England by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various spellings such as Radde, Raddee, and Raddye in records from Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of southern England by that time.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname RADD. However, it does mention several place names that may have been the source of the surname, such as Radden in Wiltshire and Raddington in Somersetshire.
Notable historical figures with the surname RADD include:
1. William Radd (c. 1470 - 1535), an English landowner and member of the gentry from Worcestershire.
2. John Radd (c. 1520 - 1589), an English clergyman who served as the Vicar of Stratford-upon-Avon during the time of William Shakespeare.
3. Elizabeth Radd (c. 1580 - 1642), an English Puritan writer and religious activist who published several treatises on Christian living.
4. Thomas Radd (1640 - 1715), an English merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Bristol and its institutions.
5. Samuel Radd (1710 - 1778), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
These examples highlight the longstanding presence of the surname RADD in various parts of England, as well as its association with individuals from different walks of life, from the landed gentry to the clergy, writers, merchants, and architects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Radd
Among Census respondents with the surname Radd, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Black (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Radd 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 Radd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 9
- Black or African American5.0% · 6
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Radd
Radd 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
-22 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 20,603 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-18 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,513 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,193 | 161 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | -22 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 20,603 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 17,513 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 Radd 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 | #123,796 | #141,309 | -14.1% |
| Count | 139 | 121 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Radd bearers went from 139 to 121 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 17,513 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #141,309.
FAQ
Radd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Radd?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Radd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Radd?
Radd ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Radd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Radd.
Has Radd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Radd went from 139 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 18 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Radd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Radd, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Black (5.0%). 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 Radd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Radd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Hispanic (7.4%), Black (5.0%). 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 Radd (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 Radd mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "red clearing" or "red meadow". 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 Radd (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 common is the surname Radd?
You can see how many people have the last name Radd on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.