2000
#12,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,228
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Clauson
Derived from the Old Norse personal name "Klaufi" or "Klaufi," meaning "clumsy" or "clown-like."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,480 Americans carry the last name Clauson. That puts it at #13,457 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,207 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clauson 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
2.5K
1 in 138,207
Census rank
#13,457
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,163 bearers of the surname Clauson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13457th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clauson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clauson
The surname Clauson originated in England in the 13th century. It is a locational name, derived from the place name Clawson in Leicestershire. The place name itself is thought to have derived from the Old English words "claeg" meaning clay or clayey soil, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement.
The earliest recorded spelling of the surname appears to be Claweson in the Hundred Rolls of Leicestershire in 1273. Other early spellings included Clawsoun in the Subsidy Rolls of Leicestershire in 1327, and Claughson in the Friary Rolls of Yorkshire in 1392.
In the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, the village of Clawson itself was recorded as "Clacsou", indicating the name's long history and evolution over time. The Clauson surname is also found in various medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1195, where one Robert de Claweson was mentioned.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Clawson, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Leicestershire in 1327. Another notable figure was William Clawson, a merchant from London, who was mentioned in the Chancery Proceedings of 1554.
In the 17th century, there was a prominent family of Clausons who owned land and estates in Northamptonshire. One member of this family, Thomas Clauson (1592-1683), was a respected lawyer and served as a Justice of the Peace for the county.
Other notable individuals with the surname Clauson include:
1. Sir Thomas Clauson (1618-1692), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire.
2. John Clauson (1729-1809), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Robert Clauson (1767-1832), a Scottish minister and writer who published several religious works.
4. William Clauson (1793-1857), an English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London.
5. Sir Ralph Clauson (1819-1891), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as Governor of the Bahamas and Fiji.
The Clauson surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Clawson Hill in Northamptonshire and Clawson Grange in Yorkshire, further reflecting its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clauson
Among Census respondents with the surname Clauson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Clauson 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 Clauson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,988
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 80
- Two or more races2.5% · 54
- Black or African American1.2% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clauson
Clauson 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
#13,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,350
+122 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 339 places
2020
#13,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,163
-187 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 392 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,726 | 2,228 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,065 | 2,350 | 0.80 | +122 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 339 places |
| 2020 | #13,457 | 2,163 | 0.72 | -187 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 392 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 Clauson 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 | #13,065 | #13,457 | -3.0% |
| Count | 2,350 | 2,163 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.72 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clauson bearers went from 2,350 to 2,163 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 392 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,065 to #13,457.
FAQ
Clauson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clauson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,480 living Americans carry the surname Clauson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,207 residents.
How common is Clauson?
Clauson ranks #13,457 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,163 people with the surname Clauson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Clauson.
Has Clauson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clauson went from 2,350 recorded bearers to 2,163. That is a decrease of 187 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,065 to #13,457.
What does the Census say about the background of Clauson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clauson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Clauson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,988 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clauson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Clauson (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 Clauson mean?
Derived from the Old Norse personal name "Klaufi" or "Klaufi," meaning "clumsy" or "clown-like." 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 Clauson (0.72 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 have the last name Clauson?
Find out how many people have the surname Clauson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.