2000
#15,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,789
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Claude
Derived from the ancient Roman name Claudius, meaning "lame" or "crippled," originally thought to be an occupational name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,362 Americans carry the last name Claude. That puts it at #14,014 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Claude 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
2.4K
1 in 145,112
Census rank
#14,014
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,060 bearers of the surname Claude in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14014th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Claude, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.8%. The next largest groups are White (35.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Claude
The surname CLAUDE originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin name Claudius, which means "lame" or "enclosing". The name was likely given to someone who had a limp or lived near an enclosure or boundary.
The earliest recorded use of the surname CLAUDE dates back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. It appeared in various medieval records, such as the Cartulaire de Montvilliers, a collection of charters from the Benedictine abbey of Montvilliers.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname CLAUDE was Guillaume CLAUDE, a Norman knight who participated in the Third Crusade under King Richard I of England in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was Jean CLAUDE, a French theologian born in 1619 who wrote extensively on Calvinist doctrine.
In the 14th century, the name CLAUDE was found in the town of Beauvais, located in the northern region of France. This is evident from the mention of Nicolas CLAUDE in the Cartulaire de Beauvais, a medieval manuscript containing records of the town.
The surname CLAUDE was also associated with various place names in France, such as Claudes, a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department, and Claude-Vieux, a commune in the Vosges department. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or vice versa.
Among the famous individuals with the surname CLAUDE throughout history are:
1. Iohannes CLAUDE (1618-1687), a Swiss Reformed theologian and author of works on theology and philosophy.
2. Étienne CLAUDE (1617-1687), a French Protestant minister and controversialist who engaged in debates with Roman Catholic theologians.
3. Isaac CLAUDE (1653-1695), a French Protestant minister and writer who worked in The Hague, Netherlands.
4. Georges CLAUDE (1870-1960), a French engineer and inventor known for his work on neon lighting and other gas-related technologies.
5. Camille CLAUDE (1888-1953), a French painter and sculptor associated with the Cubist and Art Deco movements.
The surname CLAUDE has a rich history dating back to medieval France, with connections to various regions, place names, and notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Claude
Among Census respondents with the surname Claude, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.8%. The next largest groups are White (35.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Claude 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 Claude surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.8% · 1,109
- White35.6% · 734
- Two or more races4.0% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Claude
Claude 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
#14,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,033
+244 bearers (+13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 489 places
2020
#14,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,060
+27 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 622 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,125 | 1,789 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,636 | 2,033 | 0.69 | +244 bearers (+13.6%) | Up 489 places |
| 2020 | #14,014 | 2,060 | 0.69 | +27 bearers (+1.3%) | Up 622 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 Claude 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 | #14,636 | #14,014 | 4.2% |
| Count | 2,033 | 2,060 | 1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.69 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Claude bearers went from 2,033 to 2,060 (+1.3% change). The surname moved up 622 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,636 to #14,014.
FAQ
Claude surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Claude?
Name Census estimates that about 2,362 living Americans carry the surname Claude. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,112 residents.
How common is Claude?
Claude ranks #14,014 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,060 people with the surname Claude. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,362), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Claude.
Has Claude become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Claude went from 2,033 recorded bearers to 2,060. That is an increase of 27 (+1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,636 to #14,014.
What does the Census say about the background of Claude?
Among Census respondents with the surname Claude, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.8%. The next largest groups are White (35.6%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Claude in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.8% (1,109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Claude appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.8%), White (35.6%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Claude (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 Claude mean?
Derived from the ancient Roman name Claudius, meaning "lame" or "crippled," originally thought to be an occupational name. 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 Claude (0.69 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 share the surname Claude?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.