2000
#10,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Rudder
An occupational surname for a maker or user of rudders, or a person who steers or directs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,876 Americans carry the last name Rudder. That puts it at #11,926 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,177 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rudder 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 Rudder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,177
Census rank
#11,926
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,508 bearers of the surname Rudder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11926th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudder, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rudder
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudder, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Rudder 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 Rudder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.0% · 1,830
- Black or African American17.5% · 438
- Two or more races4.7% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rudder
Rudder 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
#11,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,719
+46 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 637 places
2020
#11,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,508
-211 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 366 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,923 | 2,673 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,560 | 2,719 | 0.92 | +46 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 637 places |
| 2020 | #11,926 | 2,508 | 0.84 | -211 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 366 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 Rudder 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 | #11,560 | #11,926 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,719 | 2,508 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.84 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rudder bearers went from 2,719 to 2,508 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 366 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,560 to #11,926.
FAQ
Rudder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rudder?
Name Census estimates that about 2,876 living Americans carry the surname Rudder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,177 residents.
How common is Rudder?
Rudder ranks #11,926 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,508 people with the surname Rudder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,876), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rudder.
Has Rudder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rudder went from 2,719 recorded bearers to 2,508. That is a decrease of 211 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,560 to #11,926.
What does the Census say about the background of Rudder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudder, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Rudder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (1,830 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rudder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.0%), Black (17.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Rudder (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 Rudder mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or user of rudders, or a person who steers or directs. 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 Rudder (0.84 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 Rudder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.