2000
#9,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,034
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Ruddy
A descriptive surname referring to someone with a ruddy or reddish complexion, or a place with reddish soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,436 Americans carry the last name Ruddy. That puts it at #10,235 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,754 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ruddy 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 Ruddy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,754
Census rank
#10,235
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,996 bearers of the surname Ruddy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10235th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ruddy
The surname Ruddy is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "rudu," meaning "redness" or "ruddy complexion." The surname may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a particularly ruddy or flushed complexion.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England, there are references to individuals with the name Ruddi or Rudi, which may be early variations of the modern spelling. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is William Ruddy, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1218. Another early bearer of the name was John Ruddy, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327.
The surname Ruddy has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Rudby in North Yorkshire and Ruddington in Nottinghamshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Ruddy throughout history include:
1. Thomas Ruddy (1574-1638), an English prelate who served as the Bishop of St. Davids in Wales.
2. Benjamin Ruddy (1688-1757), a prominent English merchant and landowner based in Bristol.
3. Sir Charles Ruddy (1791-1865), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
4. Mary Ruddy (1832-1910), an Irish-American philanthropist and activist who was involved in the labor movement and women's suffrage.
5. Stephen Ruddy (1923-2010), a British author and historian known for his works on military history and World War II.
While the surname Ruddy is more commonly found in England and Ireland, it has also been present in other parts of the world due to migration patterns. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical references suggest that the name has its roots firmly planted in the British Isles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ruddy
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ruddy 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 Ruddy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,767
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 123
- Two or more races2.2% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ruddy
Ruddy 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
#9,917
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,258
+224 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 86 places
2020
#10,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,996
-262 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,831 | 3,034 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,917 | 3,258 | 1.10 | +224 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 86 places |
| 2020 | #10,235 | 2,996 | 1.00 | -262 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 318 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 Ruddy 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 | #9,917 | #10,235 | -3.2% |
| Count | 3,258 | 2,996 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.00 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ruddy bearers went from 3,258 to 2,996 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,917 to #10,235.
FAQ
Ruddy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ruddy?
Name Census estimates that about 3,436 living Americans carry the surname Ruddy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,754 residents.
How common is Ruddy?
Ruddy ranks #10,235 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,996 people with the surname Ruddy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,436), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Ruddy.
Has Ruddy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ruddy went from 3,258 recorded bearers to 2,996. That is a decrease of 262 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,917 to #10,235.
What does the Census say about the background of Ruddy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ruddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Ruddy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,767 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ruddy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Ruddy (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 Ruddy mean?
A descriptive surname referring to someone with a ruddy or reddish complexion, or a place with reddish soil. 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 Ruddy (1.00 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 Ruddy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.