Clenton
A masculine name derived from a surname of English origin.
Name Census estimates that about 276 living Americans carry the first name Clenton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Clenton today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clenton births was 1931 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clenton. 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 Clenton is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clentons were born before 1967.
People living today
276
~ 1 in 1,241,864 Americans
Peak year
1931
22 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,489
Tracked since 1908
Census
Clenton in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 251 people with the first name Clenton, which placed it at #33,109 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#33,109
National first-name rank
People counted
251
251 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
52.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clenton
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Clenton is Black at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (39.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Clenton 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Clenton at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.6% · 132
- White39.4% · 99
- Two or more races3.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 2
Popularity
Clenton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clenton from the 1900s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 177 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clenton 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 Clenton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Clentons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Georgia, Texas, Alabama recorded the most babies named Clenton, while Mississippi, Alabama, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Clenton
The name Clenton is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. It is believed to have emerged from the ancient Germanic languages, potentially derived from the Old English word "clene," meaning "pure" or "clean." However, the exact etymology remains uncertain, as records from that era are scarce and often inconsistent.
One of the earliest known references to the name Clenton can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document mentions a landowner named Clenton de Warwick, indicating that the name was in use among the Anglo-Norman nobility during the 11th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Clenton appeared sporadically in various chronicles and records, suggesting that it was not a widely popular name but held a certain prestige and distinction. One notable bearer was Sir Clenton de Vere, a knight who fought alongside King Richard I during the Third Crusade in the late 12th century.
As time progressed, the name Clenton seemed to gain more traction, particularly in the realm of literature. In the 16th century, the English playwright William Shakespeare featured a character named Clenton in his play "The Two Gentlemen of Verona." This literary reference helped to further popularize the name and cement its place in the cultural consciousness.
During the Renaissance period, a handful of influential figures bore the name Clenton. One such individual was Clenton Wolseley (1546-1599), an English poet and translator who gained recognition for his renditions of classical works. Another was Clenton Hoskyns (1566-1638), a renowned lawyer and member of the English Parliament.
In the 18th century, the name Clenton gained prominence in the artistic world with the painter Clenton Bunbury (1741-1821), whose portraits of British aristocracy and royalty earned him widespread acclaim. Additionally, the American Revolutionary War saw the emergence of Clenton Gannett (1746-1818), a soldier who fought valiantly for the Continental Army.
As the centuries progressed, the name Clenton continued to be bestowed upon individuals from various walks of life, though it remained relatively uncommon. Notable bearers include the British explorer Clenton Markham (1830-1916), who led expeditions to the Arctic regions, and the American entrepreneur Clenton Woolworth (1856-1919), the founder of the iconic Woolworth retail chain.
While the name Clenton may not have achieved widespread popularity, it has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on history, carried by individuals who have contributed to fields as diverse as literature, art, exploration, and commerce. Its unique and intriguing origins continue to captivate those who appreciate the rich tapestry of cultural heritage woven into names.
People
Clenton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clenton 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
Clenton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clenton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 276 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clenton 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 1,241,864 US residents.
Is Clenton a common name?
We classify Clenton as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 742 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clenton most popular?
The single biggest year for Clenton was 1931, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clenton is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Clenton in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 251 people with the name Clenton, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,109 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Clenton in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Clenton?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Clenton leans strongly male. 247 people counted with this name were male (98.8%), compared with 3 female bearers (1.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Clenton?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Clenton is Black at 52.6%. The next largest groups are White (39.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Clenton most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Clenton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.6% (132 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Clenton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clenton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clenton 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 Clenton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clenton 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 Clenton 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.
How many people have the name Clenton?
See how many Americans are named Clenton on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.