Clemson
Derived from the French surname Clemant, referring to a person with a gentle and merciful nature.
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Clemson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Clemson today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clemson births was 1914 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clemson. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Clemson is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clemsons were born before 1963.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Clemson. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1914
7 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1942 SSA rank
#3,656
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Clemson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clemson from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 7 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Clemson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clemson by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Clemson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Clemsons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Clemson
The given name Clemson is of English origin, derived from the surname Clemson which itself is a locational name. It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, referring to someone who hailed from the town of Clemsons or Clemens in Yorkshire, England. The name Clemsons is thought to be a corruption of the Old English words "clam" meaning ravine or valley and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement, essentially describing a settlement located in a ravine or valley.
Records of the surname Clemson can be found in various historical documents from the 13th century onwards, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273 which mentions a Hugo de Clemeston in Yorkshire. The earliest known instance of the name Clemson being used as a given name dates back to the late 16th century, with a record of a Clemson Smyth being born in 1593 in Lincolnshire, England.
While not extensively documented in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the name Clemson does share similarities with the Latin name Clemens, which means "mild" or "merciful". This could potentially indicate a connection to the early Christian martyr Saint Clement, who is venerated in various Christian traditions.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the first name Clemson, including:
1. Clemson Thomas Munson (1845-1913), an American horticulturist and viticulturist known for his work in developing disease-resistant grape varieties.
2. Clemson Alexander Wilbur (1835-1914), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia.
3. Clemson Garfield Lovelace (1898-1973), a British-born American actor and singer who appeared in several films and Broadway productions in the early 20th century.
4. Clemson Brown (1893-1965), an American jazz drummer and bandleader active in the 1920s and 1930s.
5. Clemson Reese (1891-1952), an American actor and singer who appeared in vaudeville and Broadway productions in the early 20th century.
While not a widely popular given name, Clemson has been used throughout history, primarily in English-speaking regions, and carries a unique connection to its locational origins and potential linguistic ties to Latin and Christian traditions.
People
Clemson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clemson as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Clemson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clemson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clemson going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Clemson a common name?
We classify Clemson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clemson most popular?
The single biggest year for Clemson was 1914, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clemson is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Clemson in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clemson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clemson in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Clemson still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clemson in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Clemson can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Clemson?
You can see how many Americans are named Clemson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.