2000
#3,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,717
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.23
Rare Last name
Clapp
An English occupational surname referring to a person who rang bells or made bells.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,129 Americans carry the last name Clapp. That puts it at #4,314 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,546 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clapp 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Clapp with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,546
Census rank
#4,314
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,961 bearers of the surname Clapp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4314th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clapp
The surname Clapp is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "clappu" or "clæppan," meaning "to clap" or "to strike." It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, referring to someone who clapped or beat cloth to remove dust or lint during the cloth-making process.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Clapp can be traced back to the late 12th century in various regions of England, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a Robert Clapp is mentioned.
In the renowned Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, there are no direct mentions of the surname Clapp. However, there are several entries that could be related to the name's origins, such as the village of Clappenhow in Worcestershire, which may have derived its name from the Old English words "clæppan" and "hoh," meaning "a spur of land where cloth was beaten."
During the Middle Ages, the surname Clapp was found in various spellings, including Clappe, Clape, and Clepe, reflecting the regional variations in dialect and pronunciation. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Roger Clapp (1609-1691), a prominent Puritan settler and military officer in colonial Massachusetts.
2. Thomas Clapp (1703-1767), an English clergyman and author, best known for his work "The Rodolphiad," a mock-heroic poem.
3. Asa Clapp (1805-1891), an American inventor and manufacturer, known for his contributions to the development of the sewing machine.
4. William Warland Clapp (1826-1891), an English-born Canadian businessman and politician, who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.
5. Edward Everett Clapp (1854-1923), an American lawyer and politician, who served as the Mayor of Boston from 1903 to 1905.
The surname Clapp has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Clapper Lane in Buckinghamshire and Clapperton in Northumberland, further emphasizing its connection to the cloth-making industry and the act of "clapping" or beating cloth.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clapp
Among Census respondents with the surname Clapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Clapp 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 Clapp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 7,116
- Two or more races3.4% · 272
- Black or African American3.3% · 266
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 221
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clapp
Clapp 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
#4,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,689
-28 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 2.95
Rank movement Down 352 places
2020
#4,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,961
-728 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,736 | 8,717 | 3.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,088 | 8,689 | 2.95 | -28 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 352 places |
| 2020 | #4,314 | 7,961 | 2.66 | -728 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 226 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 Clapp 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 | #4,088 | #4,314 | -5.5% |
| Count | 8,689 | 7,961 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.95 | 2.66 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clapp bearers went from 8,689 to 7,961 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 226 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,088 to #4,314.
FAQ
Clapp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clapp?
Name Census estimates that about 9,129 living Americans carry the surname Clapp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,546 residents.
How common is Clapp?
Clapp ranks #4,314 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,961 people with the surname Clapp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,129), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Clapp.
Has Clapp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clapp went from 8,689 recorded bearers to 7,961. That is a decrease of 728 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,088 to #4,314.
What does the Census say about the background of Clapp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (3.3%). 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 Clapp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (7,116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clapp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Black (3.3%). 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 Clapp (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 Clapp mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who rang bells or made bells. 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 Clapp (2.66 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 Clapp?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.