2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Rudrow
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Rudrow. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rudrow 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Rudrow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rudrow
The surname RUDROW has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "rud" and "row," meaning a "cleared area" or "clearing in a forest." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked in a cleared area of a woodland.
One of the earliest documented references to the name RUDROW can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from the year 1273, where a person named William Rudrow is mentioned. This record provides evidence of the surname's existence during the medieval period in England.
In the 16th century, the surname RUDROW appeared in various historical records, including the Parish Registers of Worcestershire. One notable individual from this time period was Thomas Rudrow, who was born in 1542 and served as a local landowner and farmer in the village of Bromsgrove.
The RUDROW surname has also been linked to certain place names in England, such as Rudrow Farm in the county of Shropshire. This farm, which dates back to the 17th century, may have been named after an early settler or landowner with the RUDROW surname.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname RUDROW. In the 18th century, John Rudrow (1718-1792) was a prominent merchant and businessman in the city of Bristol, known for his international trade ventures. Another notable figure was Mary Rudrow (1763-1842), a philanthropist and social reformer who dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of the poor in London.
During the 19th century, William Rudrow (1821-1888) was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Manchester, including the Manchester Town Hall. Additionally, Samuel Rudrow (1848-1913) was a respected scientist and inventor, best known for his contributions to the development of early telegraph technology.
In the literary world, Elizabeth Rudrow (1879-1957) was a celebrated author and poet, whose works explored themes of nature, love, and the human experience. Her collection of poems, "Whispers from the Woods," published in 1920, received critical acclaim and cemented her place in the literary canon of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rudrow
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Rudrow 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 Rudrow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.0% · 68
- Black or African American22.3% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rudrow
Rudrow 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,337 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 11,337 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 4,250 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 Rudrow 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 | #158,432 | #154,182 | 2.7% |
| Count | 102 | 103 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rudrow bearers went from 102 to 103 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,250 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,182.
FAQ
Rudrow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rudrow?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Rudrow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Rudrow?
Rudrow ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Rudrow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Rudrow.
Has Rudrow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rudrow went from 102 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Rudrow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rudrow, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Rudrow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.0% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rudrow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.0%), Black (22.3%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Rudrow (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 Rudrow mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name or location. 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 Rudrow (0.03 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 are called Rudrow?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Rudrow on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.