2000
#65,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 284
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Clady
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cladaigh, meaning "descendant of Cladach", an Irish personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 315 Americans carry the last name Clady. That puts it at #75,616 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,088,109 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clady surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
315
1 in 1,088,109
Census rank
#75,616
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
275
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 275 bearers of the surname Clady in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 75616th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clady, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clady
The surname Clady is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic 'clad', meaning a ditch or trench. It is believed to have originated in County Donegal, Ireland, sometime in the early medieval period.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Clady appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it is mentioned in reference to a battle that took place near the village of Clady in 1497. This suggests that the name may have originally been a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked in the ditches or trenches of the area.
In the 16th century, the Clady surname can be found in various legal documents and land records from County Donegal. One notable bearer of the name was Turlough Clady, a landowner who was involved in a dispute over property rights in 1568.
As the centuries passed, the Clady name spread beyond its origins in Donegal, with bearers of the surname appearing in other parts of Ireland and, later, in various parts of the world. One prominent individual with the Clady surname was William Clady (1736-1819), an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable Clady was Francis Clady (1808-1878), a British botanist and horticulturist who was instrumental in the development of several new plant species. In the 20th century, John Clady (1912-1988) was a respected Irish author and historian who wrote extensively about the history and culture of his native Donegal.
While the Clady surname may have originated from a humble locational reference, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, from soldiers and landowners to botanists and writers. The name serves as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage and diverse backgrounds that have contributed to the tapestry of human civilization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clady
Among Census respondents with the surname Clady, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Clady bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Clady surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.3% · 196
- Black or African American24.0% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 8
- Two or more races1.1% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clady
Clady appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#79,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 239
-45 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 14,300 places
2020
#75,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 275
+36 bearers (+15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 3,982 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #65,298 | 284 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #79,598 | 239 | 0.08 | -45 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 14,300 places |
| 2020 | #75,616 | 275 | 0.09 | +36 bearers (+15.1%) | Up 3,982 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Clady surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #79,598 | #75,616 | 5.0% |
| Count | 239 | 275 | 15.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.09 | 15.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clady bearers went from 239 to 275 (+15.1% change). The surname moved up 3,982 positions in the national ranking, going from #79,598 to #75,616.
FAQ
Clady surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clady?
Name Census estimates that about 315 living Americans carry the surname Clady. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,088,109 residents.
How common is Clady?
Clady ranks #75,616 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 275 people with the surname Clady. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (315), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Clady.
Has Clady become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clady went from 239 recorded bearers to 275. That is an increase of 36 (+15.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #79,598 to #75,616.
What does the Census say about the background of Clady?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clady, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Clady in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.3% (196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clady appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.3%), Black (24.0%), Hispanic (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Clady (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Clady mean?
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Cladaigh, meaning "descendant of Cladach", an Irish personal name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Clady (0.09 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Clady?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Clady on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.