2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rudnitski
A surname of Slavic origin related to the word "rudnik" meaning a mine or quarry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Rudnitski. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rudnitski 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Rudnitski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudnitski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rudnitski
The surname "Rudnitski" is of East Slavic origin, originating from the region that is now present-day Belarus and Ukraine. The name likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 15th or 16th century.
The name is derived from the Slavic word "rudnik," which means "ore mine" or "mining settlement." It is believed that the name was initially given to individuals who lived in or near mining settlements or worked in the mining industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Metryka Litewska, a collection of historical documents from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, where it appears in the 16th century as "Rudnicki."
In the 17th century, the name is mentioned in the Akty Zakhidnoi Rosii, a compilation of historical documents from western Russia, where it appears as "Rudnitskii."
A notable bearer of the name was Ivan Rudnitski (1773-1834), a Belarusian philosopher and educator who played a significant role in the development of education in Belarus.
Another prominent figure was Stepan Rudnitski (1834-1919), a Ukrainian historian, and ethnographer who made significant contributions to the study of Ukrainian folklore and culture.
In the 19th century, the name appears in the records of the Russian Empire, where it was often associated with members of the nobility or landowners in the regions of Belarus and Ukraine.
One such individual was Mikhail Rudnitski (1860-1932), a Russian military officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to Central Asia and wrote extensively about his travels.
Another notable bearer of the name was Andrei Rudnitski (1887-1942), a Ukrainian writer and playwright who was actively involved in the literary and cultural life of Kyiv in the early 20th century.
While the name "Rudnitski" has its roots in East Slavic regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and various historical events.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rudnitski
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudnitski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rudnitski 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 Rudnitski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 109
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rudnitski
Rudnitski 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+9 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 312 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.6%) | Down 312 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3,445 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 Rudnitski 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 | #145,220 | #148,665 | -2.4% |
| Count | 114 | 111 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rudnitski bearers went from 114 to 111 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3,445 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #148,665.
FAQ
Rudnitski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rudnitski?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Rudnitski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Rudnitski?
Rudnitski ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Rudnitski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Rudnitski.
Has Rudnitski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rudnitski went from 114 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Rudnitski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudnitski, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Rudnitski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rudnitski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Rudnitski (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 Rudnitski mean?
A surname of Slavic origin related to the word "rudnik" meaning a mine or quarry. 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 Rudnitski (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 many people have the last name Rudnitski?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Rudnitski on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.