2000
#57,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 329
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Rudenko
A surname of Ukrainian or Russian origin meaning "from a city, town or village named Rudnya" (derived from the term for iron mining or processing).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 657 Americans carry the last name Rudenko. That puts it at #41,034 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 521,696 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rudenko 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
657
1 in 521,696
Census rank
#41,034
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
573
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 573 bearers of the surname Rudenko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41034th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rudenko
The surname RUDENKO is of Ukrainian origin, tracing its roots back to the 15th century in the region of modern-day central and eastern Ukraine. It is derived from the Slavic word "ruda," meaning "ore" or "reddish-brown," combined with the patronymic suffix "-enko," indicating "son of."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the RUDENKO name can be found in the Litovska Metrika, a collection of historical documents from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which encompassed parts of modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania. In the late 16th century, a document from this collection references a landowner named Stepan RUDENKO in the Kyiv region.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the RUDENKO name was prominent among the Cossack communities of Ukraine. Notably, Ivan RUDENKO (1677-1733) was a respected Cossack leader and military commander who played a significant role in the defense of the Zaporizhian Sich against the Crimean Tatars and Ottoman Turks.
In the 19th century, the RUDENKO surname was well-represented among Ukrainian intellectuals and cultural figures. Panteleimon RUDENKO (1834-1858) was a prominent poet and writer who contributed to the development of modern Ukrainian literature. Mykola RUDENKO (1862-1942) was a renowned historian and ethnographer, known for his extensive research on Ukrainian folklore and traditions.
The 20th century saw several notable individuals bearing the RUDENKO surname. Mykola RUDENKO (1920-2004) was a prominent human rights activist and dissident in the Soviet Union, who spent many years in labor camps for his advocacy of Ukrainian independence and democracy. Raisa RUDENKO (1938-1997) was a celebrated Ukrainian Soviet poet and translator, whose works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
Another significant figure was Hryhoriy RUDENKO (1916-1994), a Ukrainian architect and urban planner who played a crucial role in the reconstruction and development of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in the post-World War II era. His designs and urban planning initiatives aimed to preserve the cultural heritage and architectural character of Ukraine's cities.
These are just a few examples of the historical significance and prominence of the RUDENKO surname, which has been deeply rooted in Ukrainian culture, literature, politics, and social movements throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rudenko
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Rudenko 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 Rudenko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.6% · 565
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- Two or more races0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rudenko
Rudenko 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
#48,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 433
+104 bearers (+31.6%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 9,132 places
2020
#41,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 573
+140 bearers (+32.3%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 7,683 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,849 | 329 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,717 | 433 | 0.15 | +104 bearers (+31.6%) | Up 9,132 places |
| 2020 | #41,034 | 573 | 0.19 | +140 bearers (+32.3%) | Up 7,683 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 Rudenko 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 | #48,717 | #41,034 | 15.8% |
| Count | 433 | 573 | 32.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.19 | 27.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rudenko bearers went from 433 to 573 (+32.3% change). The surname moved up 7,683 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,717 to #41,034.
FAQ
Rudenko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rudenko?
Name Census estimates that about 657 living Americans carry the surname Rudenko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 521,696 residents.
How common is Rudenko?
Rudenko ranks #41,034 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 573 people with the surname Rudenko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (657), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Rudenko.
Has Rudenko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rudenko went from 433 recorded bearers to 573. That is an increase of 140 (+32.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #48,717 to #41,034.
What does the Census say about the background of Rudenko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Rudenko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.6% (565 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rudenko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.6%), Hispanic (0.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.5%). 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 Rudenko (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 Rudenko mean?
A surname of Ukrainian or Russian origin meaning "from a city, town or village named Rudnya" (derived from the term for iron mining or processing). 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 Rudenko (0.19 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 have the surname Rudenko?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.