Explore the Family Name Dudley
The meaning of Dudley
1. English (West Midlands): habitational name from Dudley in Worcestershire, recorded as Duddeleye, Doddeleye in the 13th and 14th centuries, named from the Old English personal name Dudda (see Dodd 1) + Old English lēah ‘woodland clearing’. 2. Irish (southern Ireland): in Ireland, when not the English name, it was adopted as equivalent of Gaelic Ó Dubhdáleithe ‘descendant of Dubhdáleithe’, a personal name composed of the elements dubh ‘black’ + dá ‘two’ + léithe ‘sides’. 3. Americanized form of French Daudelin. History: Thomas Dudley (1576–1653), born at Northampton, England, sailed on the Arbella to Salem, MA, in 1630 with the chief men of the Massachusetts Bay Company. They first settled at Newtown. Dudley subsequently moved to Ipswich but then permanently settled at Roxbury. He was elected four times as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and as one of the two commissioners for the colony when the New England Confederation was formed in 1643. He was one of the first overseers of Harvard University, and in 1650, as governor, signed the charter for that institution. Dudley’s seventh and most noted child, Joseph (1647–1720) was also governor of MA (1702–15). — Some of the American Dudleys are descended from Nicolas Daudelin from France, who was in QC by 1665 (see Daudelin).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Dudley in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Dudley was ranked 912 in popularity in the year 2000 and dropped slightly to rank 972 by 2010 - a change of about 6.58%. Despite a drop in rank, the actual count of people with the Dudley surname increased from 34,770 in 2000 to 35,781 in 2010, reflecting a growth rate of 2.91%. The proportion of individuals named Dudley per 100,000 residents saw a minor decrease of 5.9%, falling from 12.89 in 2000 to 12.13 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #912 | #972 | -6.58% |
| Count | 34,770 | 35,781 | 2.91% |
| Proportion per 100k | 12.89 | 12.13 | -5.9% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dudley
With respect to ethnic identity, the Dudley surname shows a diverse distribution. According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the majority of Dudleys identified as White, although this group's proportion decreased slightly from 68.68% in 2000 to 65.96% in 2010. There was a noticeable increase in the Hispanic representation among Dudleys, growing from 1.59% to 2.62%. An increase was also observed among Asian/Pacific Islanders, those identifying with two or more races, and American Indian and Alaskan Natives. Black Dudleys saw a slight increase, going from 26.99% in 2000 to 27.67% in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 68.68% | 65.96% | -3.96% |
| Black | 26.99% | 27.67% | 2.52% |
| Hispanic | 1.59% | 2.62% | 64.78% |
| Two or More Races | 1.69% | 2.48% | 46.75% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.65% | 0.74% | 13.85% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.52% | 30% |
Dudley ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Dudley is British & Irish, which comprises 51.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.9%) and Scandinavian (4.6%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Spanish & Portuguese, Eastern European, Italian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.4% |
| French & German | 21.9% |
| Scandinavian | 4.6% |
| Other | 22.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Dudley
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Dudley have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 81.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 81.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 81.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 81.40% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 81.10% |
What Dudley haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Dudley is R-Z326, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z326 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-M167 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Cunningham, Hall, Cox, Richards, Hammond, Miles, Brown, Baker, Davis, Smith.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Dudley surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Your paternal lineage may be linked to King Louis XVI
The rule of France by men of the House of Bourbon began with King Henri IV in 1589 C.E. and continued until the beheading of his direct paternal descendant King Louis XVI in 1793. Several years ago, researchers analyzed a mummified head and a blood-soaked cloth that they believed might belong to the two kings, and concluded that the royal paternal line belonged to haplogroup G. In a more recent study, however, a different set of researchers tested three living men who are direct descendants of the Bourbon kings. Their efforts revealed that the male lineage of the House of Bourbon is actually a branch of haplogroup R-M405.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Dudley have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Dudley" Surname 39.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Dudley" Surname 27.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Dudley" Surname 22.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Dudley" Surname 18.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Dudley?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Dudley are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition