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

Clarkson, 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 Clarkson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clarkson in America

Clarkson is the 3953rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clarkson surname appeared 9,004 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Clarkson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clarkson 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 Clarkson

The surname Clarkson is of English origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is a locational surname, derived from the place name 'Clarkson' in the county of Norfolk, England. This place name is believed to have been derived from the Old English words 'clarc' meaning 'clerk' or 'scholar' and 'tun' meaning 'settlement' or 'village'.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Clarkson can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record from the late 13th century. This document mentions a John de Clerkeston from Norfolk in 1273. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1275, which lists a William de Clerkeston from the same county.

In medieval times, the surname was often spelled in various ways, such as Clerkson, Clerksone, and Clerkeston, reflecting the local dialects and scribal variations of the time. The name is also found in early parish records and tax rolls from different parts of England, indicating its widespread use.

One notable bearer of the surname was Andrew Clarkson (c. 1662-1737), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1723 to 1724. Another was Thomas Clarkson (1760-1846), a prominent English abolitionist and a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire.

In the 19th century, the surname Clarkson gained further prominence with the birth of Thomas Clarkson (1809-1893), an English missionary and explorer who was the first European to reach the Great Lakes region of Africa. His accounts of his travels and encounters with local tribes were instrumental in expanding knowledge about Central Africa.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Clarkson (1854-1924), a British businessman and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London from 1918 to 1919. He was also a Member of Parliament for the City of London from 1900 to 1918.

The surname Clarkson has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Clarkson's Green in Hertfordshire and Clarkson's Hill in Gloucestershire, further reflecting its locational origins and historical presence in various parts of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clarkson

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

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 Clarkson 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 Clarkson 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 Clarkson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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