2000
#72,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 251
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Lude
A surname derived from the French word "leude" meaning a serf or vassal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 258 Americans carry the last name Lude. That puts it at #88,580 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,328,505 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lude 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
258
1 in 1,328,505
Census rank
#88,580
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
225
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 225 bearers of the surname Lude in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 88580th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lude, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lude
The surname LUDE has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "lud," which means "people" or "folk." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to refer to someone who belonged to a particular community or group of people.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LUDE can be found in the town of Amberg, located in the Bavarian region of Germany. In the year 1543, a man named Hans LUDE was listed as a resident of this town in a local census record. This provides evidence that the name was already in use by the mid-16th century.
The name LUDE also appears in several historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. For example, in 1692, a merchant named Johann LUDE is mentioned in the records of the city of Hamburg, which was a major center of trade during that time. Additionally, in 1734, a soldier named Heinrich LUDE is listed as serving in the Prussian army under King Frederick William I.
One notable figure with the surname LUDE was Johannes LUDE, a German composer and organist who lived from 1670 to 1737. He was born in the town of Wittstock, Brandenburg, and is known for his contributions to the development of the North German organ school.
Another prominent individual with this name was Carl Friedrich LUDE, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1753 to 1835. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was a professor at the University of Göttingen.
In the 19th century, a man named Friedrich LUDE (1816-1885) gained recognition as a German politician and journalist. He was a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and actively advocated for liberal reforms during his time.
The name LUDE can also be traced to various place names in Germany, such as the town of Ludewig in Saxony-Anhalt, and the village of Lüde in Lower Saxony. These locations may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
While the name LUDE is not as common today as it was in the past, it remains a part of Germany's rich cultural heritage and serves as a reminder of the country's diverse regional identities and histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lude
Among Census respondents with the surname Lude, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lude 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 Lude surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 202
- Two or more races4.4% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lude
Lude 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
#88,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
-41 bearers (-16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 16,099 places
2020
#88,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 225
+15 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,237 | 251 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88,336 | 210 | 0.07 | -41 bearers (-16.3%) | Down 16,099 places |
| 2020 | #88,580 | 225 | 0.08 | +15 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 244 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 Lude 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 | #88,336 | #88,580 | -0.3% |
| Count | 210 | 225 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.08 | 7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lude bearers went from 210 to 225 (+7.1% change). The surname moved down 244 positions in the national ranking, going from #88,336 to #88,580.
FAQ
Lude surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lude?
Name Census estimates that about 258 living Americans carry the surname Lude. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,328,505 residents.
How common is Lude?
Lude ranks #88,580 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 225 people with the surname Lude. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (258), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Lude.
Has Lude become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lude went from 210 recorded bearers to 225. That is an increase of 15 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #88,336 to #88,580.
What does the Census say about the background of Lude?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lude, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Lude in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (202 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lude appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Lude (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 Lude mean?
A surname derived from the French word "leude" meaning a serf or vassal. 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 Lude (0.08 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 Americans have the surname Lude?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.