2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rudebeck
A Swedish locational surname referring to someone from a location named Rudebeck.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Rudebeck. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rudebeck 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Rudebeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudebeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rudebeck
The surname Rudebeck has its origins in Sweden, tracing back to the 17th century. It is derived from the old Swedish words "ryd" meaning a cleared area of land, and "beck" meaning a stream or brook. This suggests the name originally referred to someone who lived near a clearing by a stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rudebeck can be found in the Swedish parish records from the late 1600s. The spelling variations included Rydebeck and Rudebäck. These early examples are often linked to specific locations in central Sweden where the name holders resided.
Notable individuals with the surname Rudebeck include Johan Rudebeck (1669-1718), a Swedish priest and writer who authored religious texts. Another was Erik Rudebeck (1679-1753), a Swedish lawyer and President of the Svea Court of Appeal in Stockholm.
In the 19th century, Carl Olof Rudebeck (1807-1881) was a Swedish botanist and professor at the University of Lund. He made significant contributions to the field of plant taxonomy and authored several scientific publications.
Anders Rudebeck (1843-1925) was a Swedish architect and engineer, renowned for his work on the Stockholm City Hall and other notable buildings in the city.
Moving into the 20th century, Claes Rudebeck (1907-1992) was a Swedish diplomat and ambassador, serving in various countries including the United States and the Soviet Union.
Throughout its history, the Rudebeck surname has maintained its Swedish roots and associations with specific geographic locations in Sweden where the name holders originated and lived. While not a widely dispersed surname globally, it remains an important part of Swedish genealogical records and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rudebeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudebeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rudebeck 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 Rudebeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 100
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rudebeck
Rudebeck 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,688 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-19 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,855 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11,688 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 16,855 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 Rudebeck 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 | #137,327 | #154,182 | -12.3% |
| Count | 122 | 103 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rudebeck bearers went from 122 to 103 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 16,855 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #154,182.
FAQ
Rudebeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rudebeck?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Rudebeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Rudebeck?
Rudebeck ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Rudebeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Rudebeck.
Has Rudebeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rudebeck went from 122 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Rudebeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudebeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Rudebeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rudebeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Rudebeck (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 Rudebeck mean?
A Swedish locational surname referring to someone from a location named Rudebeck. 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 Rudebeck (0.03 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 people are called Rudebeck?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Rudebeck on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.