Judd
Masculine · “the descender”
Judd is a medieval short form of Jordan — the river — and the Hebrew behind it means the descender, which describes what that water actually does.
How old is the name Judd?
Judd was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Judd alive today was born around 1980, making them about 45 years old. About 4,800 people named Judd are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Judd most popular?
Judd peaked in 1970, reaching #651 nationally. Today it ranks #1699, 1,048 places below that high. See the whole 1970 chart.
Judd appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From Yarden to Judd
The story of Judd
Crusaders brought Jordan water home for baptisms and named children for the river, which is how it became a European given name. English speech made Jurd and Judd, and both became surnames. Judd entered American given-name use in the twentieth century and appears in the registers in current use.
Meaningscholars disagree
the descender
Usually read from Jurd, a medieval English short form of Jordan, from the Hebrew Yarden, 'the descender' — the river falls to the lowest point on land. A second route derives Judd from Jude or Judah, from the Hebrew for 'praise'. Both are documented for the surname.
How the name formed
- Yarden
- Jordan
- Jurd
- Judd
Related forms: Jud · Jordan · Jude
Pronouncing Judd
JUD
One syllable. Judd and Jud are homophones; only the spelling differs.
Nicknames for Judd
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 1973134 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #651reached in 1970
- Change vs 2023
- −17.9%96 in 2025, from 117
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Judd in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Jud in English — spelling variant
- Jordan in English — related form
- Jude in English — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Tennessee, Georgia.
Judds among us
people named Judd are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 17,792 born in 2025 was named Judd
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Zeno test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Judd's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Zeno climbed just as high around 1902, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Zeno's path sketches the road Judd is walking now.
Judd sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Judd is headed
Judd looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 15% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Judd beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Judd in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The descender meaning is literal, concrete and undisputed where the Jordan route holds.
- One syllable, firm, and never mispronounced.
- Jordan is available as a fuller related name.
- The origin is genuinely split between Jordan and Judah.
- It reads as a surname to many people.
- It is very short and can be swallowed by a long surname.
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What they receive
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Judd
Masculine · #1699 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Judds are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 4,800 people named Judd are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Judd in 2025?
- Judd ranks #1699 among US boy names in 2025, with 96 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Judd?
- About 1 in every 17,792 US boys born in 2025 was named Judd — 96 in all.
- Will my child share the name Judd with classmates?
- Judd will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Judd
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ghaith#1699 · Avian#1699 · Aviraj#1699 · Chad#1699 · Niall#1699 · Levy#1699 · Josh#1699 · Ramir#1699
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Judd? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Judd and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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