2000
#35,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 598
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Udall
A surname of English origin derived from a place name meaning "at the valley" or "valley dweller".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 858 Americans carry the last name Udall. That puts it at #32,872 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 399,481 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Udall 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 Udall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
858
1 in 399,481
Census rank
#32,872
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
748
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 748 bearers of the surname Udall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32872nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Udall, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Udall
The surname Udall has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ytri" and "dael," meaning "outer" and "valley" respectively, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived in an outer valley or remote area.
The earliest known record of the name Udall can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire from 1273, where it appears as "Odal." This early spelling variation indicates the name's evolution over time. It is also recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 as "Odehull."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are no direct references to the surname Udall, but there are mentions of place names that may have influenced the name's development, such as "Odell" in Bedfordshire and "Odal" in Cheshire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Udall was John Udall, a Puritan minister who lived from 1560 to 1592. He was a prominent figure in the Marprelate Controversy, a theological dispute that challenged the authority of the Anglican Church.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Udall, an English dramatist and playwright who lived from around 1500 to 1556. He is best known for his plays "Ralph Roister Doister" and "Respublica."
In the 17th century, Nicholas Udall (1505-1556) was a renowned playwright and clergyman who served as the headmaster of Eton College. He is credited with introducing the first English comedy for the stage, "Ralph Roister Doister."
The surname Udall can also be linked to several place names in England, such as Udall in Shropshire and Udall's Croft in Yorkshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Another prominent figure with the surname Udall was John Udall (1809-1889), an English-born American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature and was involved in the early settlement of Utah.
These examples illustrate the rich history and evolution of the surname Udall, which has its roots in England's medieval era and has been borne by notable individuals across various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Udall
Among Census respondents with the surname Udall, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Udall 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 Udall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 686
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 51
- Two or more races0.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Udall
Udall 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
#32,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 715
+117 bearers (+19.6%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 3,349 places
2020
#32,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 748
+33 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 636 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,585 | 598 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,236 | 715 | 0.24 | +117 bearers (+19.6%) | Up 3,349 places |
| 2020 | #32,872 | 748 | 0.25 | +33 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 636 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 Udall 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 | #32,236 | #32,872 | -2.0% |
| Count | 715 | 748 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.25 | 4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Udall bearers went from 715 to 748 (+4.6% change). The surname moved down 636 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,236 to #32,872.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Udall
FAQ
Udall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Udall?
Name Census estimates that about 858 living Americans carry the surname Udall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 399,481 residents.
How common is Udall?
Udall ranks #32,872 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 748 people with the surname Udall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (858), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Udall.
Has Udall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Udall went from 715 recorded bearers to 748. That is an increase of 33 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,236 to #32,872.
What does the Census say about the background of Udall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Udall, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Udall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Udall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Udall (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 Udall mean?
A surname of English origin derived from a place name meaning "at the valley" or "valley dweller". 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 Udall (0.25 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 Udall?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.