2000
#10,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,861
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Trudell
Derived from the Old French "trudelle," meaning a trellis or lattice, likely referring to a carpenter or woodworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,377 Americans carry the last name Trudell. That puts it at #10,417 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,497 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trudell 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
3.4K
1 in 101,497
Census rank
#10,417
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,945 bearers of the surname Trudell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10417th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trudell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trudell
The surname Trudell is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "trudel," which means "vagabond" or "wanderer." This name first appeared in the northwestern regions of France, particularly in Normandy, during the 11th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the Trudell surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Trudel." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England.
During the Middle Ages, the Trudell name was often associated with travelers and wanderers. It was not uncommon for families or individuals to adopt surnames based on their occupations or lifestyles at the time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Jehan Trudell was recorded in the historical records of the city of Rouen, France. He was a merchant who traveled extensively throughout Europe, trading goods and establishing trade routes.
The Trudell surname also has connections to various place names in France. For instance, the village of Trudelles in the Normandy region may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name over time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Trudell surname was Pierre Trudell, born in 1492 in Caen, Normandy. He was a renowned scholar and philosopher who wrote extensively on the subjects of ethics and morality.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Marguerite Trudell (1523-1589) gained recognition as a skilled weaver and textile artist. Her intricate tapestries adorned many noble households across France.
Another notable Trudell was Jacques Trudell (1610-1678), a French explorer and cartographer. He is credited with mapping several unexplored regions of North America, including parts of Canada and the Great Lakes region.
During the 17th century, the Trudell surname began to spread across Europe as families migrated to different regions. One such individual was Antoine Trudell (1652-1721), a French soldier who fought in the Nine Years' War and later settled in the Netherlands.
In the 18th century, Marie-Antoinette Trudell (1765-1838) made a name for herself as a talented painter and portraitist. Her works were highly sought after by the French aristocracy and can be found in various art galleries and museums today.
While the Trudell surname has its roots in France, it has since become more widespread, with families bearing this name found in various parts of the world, including North America, Europe, and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trudell
Among Census respondents with the surname Trudell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Trudell 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 Trudell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 2,553
- Two or more races5.5% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 61
- Black or African American1.9% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trudell
Trudell 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
#10,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,071
+210 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#10,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,945
-126 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,317 | 2,861 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,466 | 3,071 | 1.04 | +210 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #10,417 | 2,945 | 0.99 | -126 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 49 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 Trudell 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 | #10,466 | #10,417 | 0.5% |
| Count | 3,071 | 2,945 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.99 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trudell bearers went from 3,071 to 2,945 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,466 to #10,417.
FAQ
Trudell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trudell?
Name Census estimates that about 3,377 living Americans carry the surname Trudell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,497 residents.
How common is Trudell?
Trudell ranks #10,417 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,945 people with the surname Trudell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,377), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Trudell.
Has Trudell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trudell went from 3,071 recorded bearers to 2,945. That is a decrease of 126 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,466 to #10,417.
What does the Census say about the background of Trudell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trudell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Trudell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (2,553 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trudell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Trudell (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 Trudell mean?
Derived from the Old French "trudelle," meaning a trellis or lattice, likely referring to a carpenter or woodworker. 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 Trudell (0.99 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 Trudell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.