2000
#7,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,037
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Scudder
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of dishes or hollow wooden vessels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,244 Americans carry the last name Scudder. That puts it at #8,535 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Scudder 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Scudder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 80,762
Census rank
#8,535
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,701 bearers of the surname Scudder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8535th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Scudder, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Scudder
Among Census respondents with the surname Scudder, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Scudder 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 Scudder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 3,144
- Black or African American7.6% · 280
- Two or more races3.2% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Scudder
Scudder 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
#8,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,989
-48 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 712 places
2020
#8,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,701
-288 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 227 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,596 | 4,037 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,308 | 3,989 | 1.35 | -48 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 712 places |
| 2020 | #8,535 | 3,701 | 1.24 | -288 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 227 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 Scudder 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 | #8,308 | #8,535 | -2.7% |
| Count | 3,989 | 3,701 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.24 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Scudder bearers went from 3,989 to 3,701 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 227 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,308 to #8,535.
FAQ
Scudder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Scudder?
Name Census estimates that about 4,244 living Americans carry the surname Scudder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,762 residents.
How common is Scudder?
Scudder ranks #8,535 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.24 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 3,701 people with the surname Scudder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.24 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 Scudder.
Has Scudder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Scudder went from 3,989 recorded bearers to 3,701. That is a decrease of 288 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,308 to #8,535.
What does the Census say about the background of Scudder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Scudder, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Scudder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (3,144 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Scudder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (7.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Scudder (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 Scudder mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of dishes or hollow wooden vessels. 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 Scudder (1.24 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 surname Scudder?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.