2000
#12,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,370
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Rudnick
A surname of Slavic origin meaning "miner" or "ore worker," derived from the Polish word "ruda" meaning "ore."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,566 Americans carry the last name Rudnick. That puts it at #13,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,575 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rudnick 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
2.6K
1 in 133,575
Census rank
#13,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,238 bearers of the surname Rudnick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rudnick
The surname Rudnick has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the early 12th century. The name is believed to have originated in the region of Silesia, which is now located in modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic. Rudnick is derived from the German word "Rud," which means "clearing" or "arable land," and the suffix "-nick" indicates a place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Rudnick can be found in the Liber Fundationis Episcopatus Vratislaviensis, a 14th-century manuscript that documented land ownership and settlements in the region of Silesia. The name appears as "Rudnick" in this document, indicating its presence in the area during that time period.
The earliest known individual with the surname Rudnick was Hans Rudnick, born around 1450 in the town of Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland). He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region. Another notable figure was Johann Rudnick (1565-1632), a Lutheran theologian and writer who served as a pastor in the city of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland).
In the 18th century, the Rudnick family migrated to various parts of Germany and Central Europe. One prominent member was Friedrich Rudnick (1717-1789), a German philosopher and writer who authored several works on metaphysics and ethics. His contemporary, Johann Gottfried Rudnick (1725-1801), was a notable composer and organist active in the region of Saxony.
During the 19th century, the Rudnick name spread further across Europe and beyond. One notable figure was Karl Rudnick (1844-1912), a German-born industrial designer and inventor who pioneered several innovations in the field of textile machinery. He spent much of his career working in the United States after immigrating there in the late 1860s.
Another significant individual was Emil Rudnick (1875-1957), a German painter and printmaker who was part of the Expressionist movement in the early 20th century. His works are held in several prominent art museums and galleries across Europe.
It's important to note that this history focuses on the surname Rudnick and its origins, rather than its use as a first or given name. The name has a rich heritage and has been associated with notable figures across various fields throughout its centuries-long history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rudnick
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Rudnick 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 Rudnick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,068
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 76
- Two or more races2.8% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rudnick
Rudnick 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
#12,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,371
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 872 places
2020
#13,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,238
-133 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,081 | 2,370 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,953 | 2,371 | 0.80 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 872 places |
| 2020 | #13,103 | 2,238 | 0.75 | -133 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 150 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 Rudnick 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 | #12,953 | #13,103 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,371 | 2,238 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.75 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rudnick bearers went from 2,371 to 2,238 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,953 to #13,103.
FAQ
Rudnick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rudnick?
Name Census estimates that about 2,566 living Americans carry the surname Rudnick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,575 residents.
How common is Rudnick?
Rudnick ranks #13,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,238 people with the surname Rudnick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Rudnick.
Has Rudnick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rudnick went from 2,371 recorded bearers to 2,238. That is a decrease of 133 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,953 to #13,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Rudnick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Rudnick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,068 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rudnick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Rudnick (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 Rudnick mean?
A surname of Slavic origin meaning "miner" or "ore worker," derived from the Polish word "ruda" meaning "ore." 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 Rudnick (0.75 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 share the surname Rudnick?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.