2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Clauder
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a hill or cliff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Clauder. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clauder 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Clauder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clauder, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clauder
The surname Clauder originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "klau," which means "ravine" or "valley." This suggests that the name was initially used to identify individuals who lived or worked near ravines or valleys.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Clauder surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, Germany. In this manuscript, dated around 1280, a person named "Henricus Clauder" is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Erzgebirge.
During the late medieval period, the Clauder surname appeared in various records across central and eastern Germany. For instance, in 1492, a man named Hans Clauder is listed as a merchant in the city of Nuremberg's trade records.
In the 16th century, the Clauder name gained prominence with the birth of Johann Clauder (1518-1585), a renowned German theologian and Lutheran reformer. He served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable individual bearing the Clauder surname was Gabriel Clauder (1633-1691), a German composer and organist. Born in Nuremberg, he is known for his contributions to the development of the Baroque music style in Germany.
The Clauder surname also has ties to place names, such as the village of Klaudern in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. This village's name is derived from the same Old German word that gave rise to the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and geographical features like ravines or valleys.
In the 19th century, the Clauder family gained prominence in the field of engineering. August Clauder (1818-1889) was a German civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of railways and bridges in his homeland.
Throughout history, the Clauder surname has been associated with various professions, including theology, music, engineering, and commerce. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by generations of Clauder families.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clauder
Among Census respondents with the surname Clauder, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Clauder 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 Clauder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 89
- Two or more races4.2% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clauder
Clauder 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,136 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-14 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 17,136 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 7,145 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 Clauder 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 | #149,395 | #156,540 | -4.8% |
| Count | 110 | 96 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clauder bearers went from 110 to 96 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 7,145 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #156,540.
FAQ
Clauder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clauder?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Clauder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Clauder?
Clauder ranks #156,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 96 people with the surname Clauder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Clauder.
Has Clauder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clauder went from 110 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Clauder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clauder, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Clauder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clauder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Clauder (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 Clauder mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a hill or cliff. 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 Clauder (0.03 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 Clauder?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.