2000
#14,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,847
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Claunch
An English habitational surname derived from the village of Clench in Somerset.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,035 Americans carry the last name Claunch. That puts it at #15,808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,430 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Claunch 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
2.0K
1 in 168,430
Census rank
#15,808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,775 bearers of the surname Claunch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Claunch, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Claunch
The surname Claunch has its origins in the Old English language and is believed to have originated in the region now known as Gloucestershire, England. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "clunc," which referred to a rocky hill or ridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Claunch can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Clunche." This suggests that the name was already in use during the 11th century.
In the 13th century, variations of the name began to appear in historical records, such as "Claunche" and "Clawnch." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the evolving nature of the English language.
The Claunch name can also be traced back to place names in Gloucestershire, such as the village of Claunce, which was mentioned in the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535. This lends further credence to the theory that the surname originated in this region.
Some notable individuals throughout history who bore the Claunch surname include:
1. Sir Thomas Claunch (1520-1587), an English landowner and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. John Claunch (1642-1712), a Puritan settler in colonial Massachusetts and one of the founders of the town of Rehoboth.
3. Mary Claunch (1712-1796), a prominent Quaker minister and abolitionist in Pennsylvania.
4. William Claunch (1785-1848), an American pioneer and early settler in what is now Texas.
5. Elizabeth Claunch (1832-1910), a writer and educator who founded one of the first schools for African American children in the post-Civil War South.
While the Claunch name has its roots in England, it eventually spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns. Today, individuals with this surname can be found in various countries, reflecting the global reach of the name's history and evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Claunch
Among Census respondents with the surname Claunch, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Claunch 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 Claunch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 1,580
- Two or more races5.1% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 55
- Black or African American1.1% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Claunch
Claunch 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
#16,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,803
-44 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 1,319 places
2020
#15,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,775
-28 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,745 | 1,847 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,064 | 1,803 | 0.61 | -44 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 1,319 places |
| 2020 | #15,808 | 1,775 | 0.59 | -28 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 256 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 Claunch 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 | #16,064 | #15,808 | 1.6% |
| Count | 1,803 | 1,775 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.59 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Claunch bearers went from 1,803 to 1,775 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,064 to #15,808.
FAQ
Claunch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Claunch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,035 living Americans carry the surname Claunch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,430 residents.
How common is Claunch?
Claunch ranks #15,808 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,775 people with the surname Claunch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,035), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Claunch.
Has Claunch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Claunch went from 1,803 recorded bearers to 1,775. That is a decrease of 28 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,064 to #15,808.
What does the Census say about the background of Claunch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Claunch, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Claunch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (1,580 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Claunch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Claunch (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 Claunch mean?
An English habitational surname derived from the village of Clench in Somerset. 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 Claunch (0.59 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 Americans have the surname Claunch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.