2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Rudinski
A surname derived from a placename, possibly originating from a town or village in Poland or Belarus.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Rudinski. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rudinski 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Rudinski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rudinski
The surname Rudinski originated in Poland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "ruda," meaning "red," which likely referred to the reddish hair color or complexion of the first person to bear the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Rudinski surname can be found in a 1578 document from the town of Krakow, where a certain Jan Rudinski is mentioned as a local merchant. The name also appears in various parish records and land registries from the 16th and 17th centuries in regions such as Lublin, Radom, and Sandomierz.
In the late 17th century, the Rudinski surname gained prominence when Stanislaw Rudinski (1640-1712) became a respected scholar and professor of theology at the University of Krakow. His writings on philosophy and religion were widely circulated throughout Poland and neighboring countries.
Another notable bearer of the Rudinski name was Jakub Rudinski (1721-1789), a renowned painter who specialized in religious art and whose works can still be found adorning churches and monasteries across Poland.
During the 19th century, the Rudinski surname spread beyond Poland's borders as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Andrzej Rudinski (1835-1901), a Polish-born engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of several railway systems in the United States.
In more recent history, the Rudinski surname has been carried by individuals such as Wladyslaw Rudinski (1912-1998), a Polish-American author and journalist who chronicled the experiences of Polish immigrants in the United States, and Katarzyna Rudinski (born 1980), a contemporary Polish artist renowned for her abstract expressionist paintings.
While the Rudinski surname may have evolved slightly in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the vibrant history of Poland, where it has been a part of the cultural tapestry for hundreds of years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rudinski
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rudinski 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 Rudinski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 113
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rudinski
Rudinski 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-7 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,195 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 14,195 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,207 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 Rudinski 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 | #138,304 | #143,511 | -3.8% |
| Count | 121 | 118 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rudinski bearers went from 121 to 118 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #143,511.
FAQ
Rudinski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rudinski?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Rudinski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Rudinski?
Rudinski ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Rudinski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Rudinski.
Has Rudinski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rudinski went from 121 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Rudinski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudinski, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Rudinski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rudinski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Rudinski (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 Rudinski mean?
A surname derived from a placename, possibly originating from a town or village in Poland or Belarus. 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 Rudinski (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 Rudinski?
You can see how common the surname Rudinski is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.