2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sudnik
A surname originating from Polish or Ukrainian regions, possibly referring to a judge or adjudicator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Sudnik. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sudnik 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Sudnik in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sudnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sudnik
The surname SUDNIK originates from Poland, where it first emerged in the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "sudnik," which referred to a judge or legal official. This suggests that the name was likely first borne by someone who held such a position in the local community or court system.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various Polish records and documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, often spelled slightly differently, such as "Sudnyk" or "Sudnicki." One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Jan Sudnik, a magistrate who lived in the town of Krakow in the late 16th century.
The name SUDNIK can also be traced back to certain place names in Poland, particularly the village of Sudniki, located in the region of Greater Poland. It is possible that some early bearers of the name may have originated from or had ties to this locality.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the SUDNIK surname. In the 18th century, Michał Sudnik was a renowned Polish painter and engraver, known for his religious artwork and portraits. He lived from 1730 to 1810.
Another notable figure was Józef Sudnik, a Polish-born American chemist and inventor who lived from 1889 to 1970. He is credited with developing several important chemical processes and held numerous patents in his field.
In the 20th century, Jerzy Sudnik was a prominent Polish actor and director, active in both theater and film. He was born in 1919 and passed away in 1994, leaving behind a rich legacy in the arts.
Stanisław Sudnik, born in 1920, was a Polish resistance fighter during World War II and later became a respected historian and author, writing extensively on the history of his home region of Silesia.
More recently, Adam Sudnik was a Polish-born American businessman and entrepreneur, known for his successful ventures in the technology sector. He lived from 1948 to 2018.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sudnik
Among Census respondents with the surname Sudnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sudnik 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 Sudnik surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 108
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sudnik
Sudnik 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+7 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,497 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-10 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 2,497 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 11,165 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 Sudnik 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 | #133,863 | #145,028 | -8.3% |
| Count | 126 | 116 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sudnik bearers went from 126 to 116 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 11,165 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #145,028.
FAQ
Sudnik surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sudnik?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Sudnik. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Sudnik?
Sudnik ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Sudnik. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Sudnik.
Has Sudnik become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sudnik went from 126 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Sudnik?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sudnik, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Sudnik in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sudnik appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Sudnik (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 Sudnik mean?
A surname originating from Polish or Ukrainian regions, possibly referring to a judge or adjudicator. 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 Sudnik (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 share the surname Sudnik?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.