2000
#202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130,793
First available Census row
Per 100,000 48.48
Common Last name
Hudson
Derived from the Old English term for "son of Hudd," referring to a patronymic surname meaning "descendant of Hudd."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 149,000 Americans carry the last name Hudson. That puts it at #220 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 43.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,300 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hudson 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 Hudson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
149K
1 in 2,300
Census rank
#220
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
43.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
130K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 129,935 bearers of the surname Hudson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 43.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 220th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hudson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hudson
The surname Hudson is of English origin and dates back to the late 11th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words 'hoh' meaning 'heel' and 'dun' meaning 'hill', indicating that the name referred to someone who lived near a heel-shaped hill. The name was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Hoddun' and 'Hodden'.
The earliest known bearer of the name was Radulfus de Hoddun, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. Another early record is of William Hudson from the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279. The surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire during the Middle Ages.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname Hudson throughout history. Henry Hudson (c.1565-1611) was an English sea explorer and navigator who explored parts of present-day Canada and the United States, and for whom the Hudson River and Hudson Bay are named. Jeffery Hudson (1619-1682) was an English courtier who was famously known as the 'Queen's Dwarf' at the court of Queen Henrietta Maria.
Other prominent bearers of the name include the English philosopher and mathematician William Hudson (1730-1793), the American actor Rock Hudson (1925-1985), and the English musician and lead singer of the band Oasis, Liam Hudson (born 1972). The Hudson surname has also been associated with various places, such as Hudson, New York, and Hudson County, New Jersey, both named after Henry Hudson.
Over time, the surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Hodson, Hoddson, and Hudsson, reflecting regional dialects and evolving pronunciation. While the name has spread worldwide due to migration, its origins can be traced back to the hills and villages of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hudson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hudson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hudson 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 Hudson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.1% · 83,241
- Black or African American26.8% · 34,785
- Two or more races4.6% · 5,925
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 4,099
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,044
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 841
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hudson
Hudson 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
#214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134,963
+4,170 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 45.75
Rank movement Down 12 places
2020
#220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129,935
-5,028 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 43.47
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #202 | 130,793 | 48.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #214 | 134,963 | 45.75 | +4,170 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 12 places |
| 2020 | #220 | 129,935 | 43.47 | -5,028 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 6 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 Hudson 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 | #214 | #220 | -2.8% |
| Count | 134,963 | 129,935 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 45.75 | 43.47 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hudson bearers went from 134,963 to 129,935 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #214 to #220.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hudson
FAQ
Hudson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hudson?
Name Census estimates that about 149,000 living Americans carry the surname Hudson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,300 residents.
How common is Hudson?
Hudson ranks #220 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 43.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 43 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 129,935 people with the surname Hudson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (149,000), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 43.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 43.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 43 of them to have the surname Hudson.
Has Hudson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hudson went from 134,963 recorded bearers to 129,935. That is a decrease of 5,028 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #214 to #220.
What does the Census say about the background of Hudson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hudson, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hudson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (83,241 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hudson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.1%), Black (26.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hudson (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 Hudson mean?
Derived from the Old English term for "son of Hudd," referring to a patronymic surname meaning "descendant of Hudd." 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 Hudson (43.47 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 are called Hudson?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Hudson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.