Find out how popular the last name Rudder is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rudder.

Rudder, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rudder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rudder in America

Rudder is the 11560th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rudder surname appeared 2,719 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rudder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rudder to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rudder

The surname Rudder originated in England during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'rodor', meaning 'sky' or 'heaven'. The name may have initially been a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a prominent natural feature such as a hill or mountain.

The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a Richard Rodur is mentioned. In the Curia Regis Rolls of Yorkshire from 1212, a William Rodur is recorded. The variation 'Rudder' appears in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1275, with a mention of a John Ruddere.

The name may also be connected to the Old English word 'rod', meaning 'rod' or 'pole'. This could suggest that the name was originally an occupational surname for someone who worked with rods or poles, such as a thatcher or a maker of oars or rudders for boats.

In the 14th century, the name Rudder appeared in various forms, including Rudere, Ruddere, and Rudder, in records from Essex, Oxfordshire, and Cambridgeshire. Notable individuals with this surname during this period include John Ruddere, a landowner in Oxfordshire in 1379, and William Rudder, a merchant in London in 1392.

By the 16th century, the name had become more firmly established in its modern spelling of Rudder. Thomas Rudder (1540-1616) was a prominent English churchman and author, best known for his work 'A New History of Gloucestershire' published in 1779.

In the 17th century, Samuel Rudder (1616-1692) was an English clergyman and author of several religious works. He served as the rector of Hawarden in Flintshire, Wales.

During the 18th century, the name Rudder was well-established in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Notable individuals from this period include Thomas Rudder (1725-1807), a surveyor and author of 'The History and Antiquities of Gloucestershire' published in 1779.

In the 19th century, Charles Rudder (1824-1891) was a prominent English horticulturist and rose breeder from Warwickshire. He introduced several new varieties of roses and was awarded several medals by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rudder

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rudder.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rudder was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rudder has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rudder was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rudder, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!