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

Claro, 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 Claro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Claro in America

Claro is the 24001st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Claro surname appeared 1,051 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Claro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Claro 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 Claro

The surname Claro originated in Italy, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Italian word "claro," meaning "clear" or "bright." The name may have referred to someone with a bright complexion or a sunny disposition.

In the early 14th century, the name appeared in various Italian documents and records, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. One of the earliest known references is found in the Florentine tax records of 1325, where a certain Giovanni Claro is mentioned.

The Claro surname can also be traced back to the town of Claro, located in the province of Treviso, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is believed that some families adopted the name as a result of their association with this town.

During the Renaissance period, several notable individuals bore the Claro surname. One of them was Antonio Claro (1452-1512), a Venetian scholar and humanist known for his Latin translations of ancient Greek texts.

In the 16th century, the name appears in Spanish records, indicating that some Italian families with the Claro surname may have migrated to Spain during that time. One prominent figure was Rodrigo Claro (1523-1570), a Spanish jurist and author of legal treatises.

As the Claro name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Clari, Clarius, and Clarot. In France, the name was sometimes spelled as Claret or Clarey.

Another noteworthy individual with the Claro surname was Giulio Claro (1525-1575), an Italian architect and military engineer who worked on fortifications in various Italian cities, including Verona and Mantua.

In the 17th century, the Claro family had a presence in the Netherlands, where Pieter Claro (1616-1688) was a renowned Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscapes and seascapes.

As trade and exploration expanded, the Claro name eventually made its way to the Americas and other parts of the world, carried by Italian and Spanish settlers and immigrants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Claro

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

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

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

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