Find out how popular the last name Rudnicki is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Rudnicki.

Rudnicki, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Rudnicki surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rudnicki in America

Rudnicki is the 21272nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rudnicki surname appeared 1,232 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rudnicki.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rudnicki to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Rudnicki

The surname Rudnicki originates from Poland and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Polish word "rudny," which means "reddish" or "rusty." This name likely referred to someone with reddish hair or complexion, or perhaps someone who worked in the iron industry, where the surroundings would often turn a reddish-brown color.

The Rudnicki name can be traced back to the 14th century, with mentions in various Polish historical records and manuscripts. One notable example is the Księga Henrykowska, a 14th-century manuscript from the Cistercian monastery in Henryków, which contains references to individuals with the Rudnicki surname.

In the 16th century, the name Rudnicki appeared in the Polish Heraldic Armorials, which were collections of coats of arms belonging to noble families. This suggests that some members of the Rudnicki family achieved noble status during this period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Rudnicki surname was Jan Rudnicki, a Polish nobleman who lived in the late 15th century. He was a landowner in the region of Małopolska, which was then part of the Kingdom of Poland.

Another notable figure was Mikołaj Rudnicki (1543-1608), a Polish Catholic priest and theologian who served as the Bishop of Kamieniec Podolski. He played a significant role in the Counter-Reformation efforts in Poland during the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, Jerzy Rudnicki (1609-1672) was a Polish military officer who fought in the Polish-Swedish wars. He achieved the rank of Colonel and was renowned for his bravery in battle.

The 18th century saw the rise of Józef Rudnicki (1725-1789), a Polish writer and translator who contributed to the development of Polish literature during the Enlightenment period.

Towards the end of the 19th century, Jan Rudnicki (1855-1924) was a prominent Polish architect who designed several notable buildings in Warsaw, including the Grand Theatre and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Throughout its history, the Rudnicki surname has been associated with various locations in Poland, such as the villages of Rudniki, Rudno, and Rudnica, from which the name likely originated. These place names also reflect the reddish or iron-rich soil found in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rudnicki

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Rudnicki.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Rudnicki was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Rudnicki has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Rudnicki was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rudnicki, please contact us.

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