2000
#6,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,885
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
Claiborne
From an English place name meaning "clay brook," referring to a stream flowing through clay soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,804 Americans carry the last name Claiborne. That puts it at #6,458 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,055 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Claiborne 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
5.8K
1 in 59,055
Census rank
#6,458
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,061 bearers of the surname Claiborne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6458th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Claiborne, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.7%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Claiborne
The surname Claiborne originated in England, where it was first recorded in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "clær" meaning "bright" and "burna" meaning "stream," referring to a bright or clear stream. The name was likely given to someone who lived near such a stream.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1198, where it is spelled "Clareburn." The Pipe Rolls were a record of financial accounts kept by the English Crown. Over time, the name evolved to its modern spelling of Claiborne.
In the 13th century, the name Claiborne appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which recorded landowners in England. These early records suggest that the Claiborne family was well-established in various parts of the country, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset.
The earliest known person with the surname Claiborne was Sir Richard Claiborne, born around 1265 in Westbury, Wiltshire. He was a knight and landowner who served under King Edward I in the wars against Scotland and France. Another notable early bearer of the name was William Claiborne, born in 1587 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was a prominent colonial leader and Secretary of State for the Virginia Colony.
Other historical figures with the surname Claiborne include:
1. John Claiborne (1609-1677), an English immigrant to Virginia and a member of the House of Burgesses.
2. Thomas Claiborne (1647-1683), an English-born colonist in Virginia and a member of the Governor's Council.
3. William C. C. Claiborne (1775-1817), a prominent American statesman and the first governor of Louisiana after the Louisiana Purchase.
4. John F. H. Claiborne (1809-1892), a U.S. Congressman from Mississippi and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War.
5. Nathaniel Herbert Claiborne (1777-1859), a Virginia-born lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Congressman and Senator.
Over the centuries, the Claiborne surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Claiborne County in Mississippi and Claiborne Parish in Louisiana, both named after William C. C. Claiborne.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Claiborne
Among Census respondents with the surname Claiborne, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.7%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Claiborne 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 Claiborne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American56.7% · 2,868
- White32.5% · 1,647
- Two or more races5.8% · 295
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 193
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Claiborne
Claiborne 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
#6,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,201
+316 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 105 places
2020
#6,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,061
-140 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Up 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,418 | 4,885 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,523 | 5,201 | 1.76 | +316 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 105 places |
| 2020 | #6,458 | 5,061 | 1.69 | -140 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 65 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 Claiborne 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 | #6,523 | #6,458 | 1.0% |
| Count | 5,201 | 5,061 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.69 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Claiborne bearers went from 5,201 to 5,061 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,523 to #6,458.
FAQ
Claiborne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Claiborne?
Name Census estimates that about 5,804 living Americans carry the surname Claiborne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,055 residents.
How common is Claiborne?
Claiborne ranks #6,458 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,061 people with the surname Claiborne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,804), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Claiborne.
Has Claiborne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Claiborne went from 5,201 recorded bearers to 5,061. That is a decrease of 140 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,523 to #6,458.
What does the Census say about the background of Claiborne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Claiborne, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.7%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Claiborne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.7% (2,868 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Claiborne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (56.7%), White (32.5%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Claiborne (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 Claiborne mean?
From an English place name meaning "clay brook," referring to a stream flowing through clay soil. 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 Claiborne (1.69 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 Claiborne?
See how common the surname Claiborne is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.