Find out how popular the last name Clapper is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Clapper.

Clapper, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Clapper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clapper in America

Clapper is the 6822nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clapper surname appeared 4,944 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Clapper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clapper to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Clapper

The surname Clapper originated in England, deriving from the Old English word 'clappere', which referred to a bell-ringer or someone who operated a clapper. This occupation-based surname was first recorded in the late 13th century.

One of the earliest mentions of the Clapper name was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John le Clapper was listed. The name also appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1379, referring to a Reginald Clapper.

During the medieval period, the Clapper surname was concentrated in the West Midlands region of England, particularly in Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire. The name was sometimes spelled as Claper or Clappur in ancient records.

The Clapper family likely originated from a small village or hamlet that no longer exists, as many surnames derived from locations or place names during this era. However, there are no clear records of a specific place associated with this surname.

Notable individuals with the Clapper surname include Richard Clapper (1559-1628), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Barnstaple. William Clapper (1673-1741) was a prominent landowner and justice of the peace in Gloucestershire.

Another notable figure was Thomas Clapper (1732-1801), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Bristol, who founded the Clapper Charity School for underprivileged children. Edward Clapper (1834-1914) was a renowned architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in the West Midlands region.

One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Sir William Clapper (1888-1967), a highly decorated British military officer who served in both World Wars and received the Victoria Cross for his bravery during the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clapper

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Clapper.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Clapper was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Clapper has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Clapper was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Clapper, please contact us.

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