2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Claesson
A patronymic surname indicating "son of Claes", a Swedish variant of Nicholas.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Claesson. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Claesson 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Claesson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Claesson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Claesson
The surname Claesson originates from Sweden, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Claes." Claes is a Scandinavian form of the name Nicholas, derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which means "victory of the people."
The earliest recorded instance of the name Claesson can be found in the Swedish church records from the late 1500s. In these records, the name was often spelled as "Classon" or "Clåsson," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that time period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Claesson was Olof Claesson, a Swedish farmer who lived in the village of Älvdalen in the province of Dalarna during the 17th century. Another notable figure was Johan Claesson, a Swedish soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) under King Gustavus Adolphus.
In the 18th century, the name Claesson appeared in several historical documents, including the records of the Swedish East India Company. One such individual was Carl Claesson, a merchant and ship captain who sailed to India and China in the 1760s.
During the 19th century, the surname Claesson spread beyond Sweden as people migrated to other parts of the world. One notable bearer of the name was Nils Claesson, a Swedish-American engineer who played a key role in the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad in the United States in the 1860s.
Another significant figure was Anders Claesson, a Swedish-born artist who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and became known for his paintings depicting scenes of rural life in his native country.
In more recent history, the name Claesson has been associated with several accomplished individuals, including the Swedish architect and designer Mårten Claesson (born 1944), who co-founded the renowned design studio Claesson Koivisto Rune.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Claesson
Among Census respondents with the surname Claesson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Claesson 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 Claesson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Claesson
Claesson 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,697 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,617 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,697 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,617 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 Claesson 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 | #141,140 | #145,757 | -3.3% |
| Count | 118 | 115 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Claesson bearers went from 118 to 115 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 4,617 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #145,757.
FAQ
Claesson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Claesson?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Claesson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Claesson?
Claesson ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Claesson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Claesson.
Has Claesson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Claesson went from 118 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Claesson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Claesson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Claesson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Claesson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Claesson (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 Claesson mean?
A patronymic surname indicating "son of Claes", a Swedish variant of Nicholas. 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 Claesson (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Claesson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.