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

Scudder, 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 Scudder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Scudder in America

Scudder is the 8308th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Scudder surname appeared 3,989 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Scudder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Scudder 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 Scudder

The surname Scudder originated in England, tracing its roots back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "scudder," which means "squirrel." This suggests that the name may have originated as a nickname for someone with a squirrel-like appearance or behavior.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Scudder can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Scudere." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings in England.

The Scudder surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall in the southwest of England. Some early variations of the spelling include Scuddere, Skuddere, and Skudder.

In the 13th century, records show a Walter Scudder living in Somerset. A century later, in 1379, a Richard Scudder is mentioned in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire.

During the 16th century, the name Scudder gained prominence with the birth of Henry Scudder (1568-1659), an English clergyman and one of the earliest settlers of Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was a influential figure in the early days of the American colonies.

Another notable Scudder was Horace Elisha Scudder (1838-1902), an American editor, biographer, and literary critic. He served as the editor of the Atlantic Monthly and wrote extensively on literature and education.

In the 19th century, John Scudder (1793-1859), an American missionary and physician, made significant contributions to the medical field in India. He established several hospitals and medical schools in the country.

The name Scudder has also been associated with places like Scudder's Falls, a waterfall on the Delaware River in New Jersey, and Scudder's Pond, a glacial lake in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Other notable individuals bearing the Scudder surname include Moses Scudder (1619-1699), an early settler of Long Island, New York, and Townsend Scudder (1865-1960), an American naturalist and expert on butterflies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Scudder

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

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 Scudder 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 Scudder 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 Scudder was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!