2000
#6,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,773
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Clapper
An occupational surname referring to someone who rang church bells or made bells or bell clappers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,948 Americans carry the last name Clapper. That puts it at #7,450 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,271 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clapper 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
4.9K
1 in 69,271
Census rank
#7,450
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,315 bearers of the surname Clapper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7450th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clapper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clapper
Among Census respondents with the surname Clapper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Clapper 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 Clapper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 3,953
- Two or more races4.1% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
- Black or African American0.4% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clapper
Clapper 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
#6,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,944
+171 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 273 places
2020
#7,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,315
-629 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 628 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,549 | 4,773 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,822 | 4,944 | 1.68 | +171 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 273 places |
| 2020 | #7,450 | 4,315 | 1.44 | -629 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 628 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 Clapper 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 | #6,822 | #7,450 | -9.2% |
| Count | 4,944 | 4,315 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.44 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clapper bearers went from 4,944 to 4,315 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 628 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,822 to #7,450.
FAQ
Clapper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clapper?
Name Census estimates that about 4,948 living Americans carry the surname Clapper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,271 residents.
How common is Clapper?
Clapper ranks #7,450 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,315 people with the surname Clapper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,948), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Clapper.
Has Clapper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clapper went from 4,944 recorded bearers to 4,315. That is a decrease of 629 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,822 to #7,450.
What does the Census say about the background of Clapper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clapper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Clapper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (3,953 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clapper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Clapper (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 Clapper mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who rang church bells or made bells or bell clappers. 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 Clapper (1.44 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 are called Clapper?
Want to know how common the surname Clapper is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.