2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rudibaugh
A German surname originating from a combination meaning "famous fighter" or "renowned battler".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Rudibaugh. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rudibaugh 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Rudibaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudibaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rudibaugh
The surname RUDIBAUGH is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval times of the 13th century. The name is believed to have originated in the Rhineland region of Germany, where it was derived from the Old High German words "rodi" and "boug," which collectively translate to "red bend" or "red curve."
During the Middle Ages, the name RUDIBAUGH likely referred to individuals who lived near a distinctive red-colored bend or curve in a river or a road. This could have served as a descriptive identifier for their place of residence or a distinguishing topographical feature associated with their location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name RUDIBAUGH can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Rheno-Mosellanus, a collection of historical documents from the Rhineland region, dating back to the year 1287. In this manuscript, a certain "Johannes Rudibaugh" is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Boppard.
Another notable figure bearing the RUDIBAUGH name was Hans Rudibaugh, a 16th-century master craftsman from the city of Cologne. He was renowned for his intricate woodcarvings and is believed to have contributed to the decorative elements of the famous Cologne Cathedral.
In the 17th century, the RUDIBAUGH family spread across various parts of Germany, with some members migrating to neighboring countries like Switzerland and Austria. One such individual was Johann Rudibaugh (1625-1692), a respected scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Basel.
The name RUDIBAUGH also found its way into the annals of military history. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), a captain named Rudolf Rudibaugh (1595-1651) was renowned for his bravery and leadership on the battlefields of central Europe.
In the 19th century, as German immigrants sought new opportunities in the Americas, the RUDIBAUGH name crossed the Atlantic Ocean. One notable figure from this era was Wilhelm Rudibaugh (1832-1912), a successful entrepreneur and founder of the Rudibaugh Brewing Company in St. Louis, Missouri.
While the name RUDIBAUGH may have undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as Rudibauch, Rudibach, and Rudibaugh, its German roots and historical significance remain deeply rooted in its etymological origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rudibaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudibaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rudibaugh 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 Rudibaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 105
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rudibaugh
Rudibaugh 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,391 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 3,391 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,267 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 Rudibaugh 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 | #139,228 | #146,495 | -5.2% |
| Count | 120 | 114 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rudibaugh bearers went from 120 to 114 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,267 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #146,495.
FAQ
Rudibaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rudibaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Rudibaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Rudibaugh?
Rudibaugh ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Rudibaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Rudibaugh.
Has Rudibaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rudibaugh went from 120 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Rudibaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudibaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Rudibaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rudibaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Black (1.8%). 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 Rudibaugh (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 Rudibaugh mean?
A German surname originating from a combination meaning "famous fighter" or "renowned battler". 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 Rudibaugh (0.04 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 common is the surname Rudibaugh?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Rudibaugh? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.