Judge
A surname that most likely began as a nickname or occupational label for someone acting as a judge or arbiter.
The #3,414 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,537 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Judge is usually explained from Middle English judge, meaning a judge, arbiter, or umpire. Lower notes that it may have been a sobriquet or a name for someone who served as an umpire in a medieval game, rather than a hereditary title taken directly from the legal office. The word itself goes back through Old French and ultimately Latin iudex, "judge."
History
The name appears in English records as an occupational or descriptive byname rather than a title of rank. Because actual judges were traditionally people of status, some scholars have been cautious about deriving the surname straightforwardly from the legal office itself. The surname remains established in the English-speaking world, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century surname writers sometimes compared Judge with other legal surnames like Justice, Law, and Sheriff, treating them as evidence that professions and offices could become family names.
From the historical record
“Judson. JUDGE. This surname can hardly have been borrowed from the office, l.iecause in this country judges have always been per- sons of dignity and consideration. It may have been eitlier a sobriquet, or a name given to an umpire in some medieval game. JUDKINS. See Judd. JUDSON. 1. See Jude. 2. See Judd.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom