2000
#8,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,456
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Claussen
Derived from the German place name Klausen or Clausen, referring to someone who lived near an enclosure or defile.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,821 Americans carry the last name Claussen. That puts it at #9,365 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,703 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Claussen 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
3.8K
1 in 89,703
Census rank
#9,365
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,332 bearers of the surname Claussen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9365th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Claussen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Claussen
The surname CLAUSSEN originates from Germany, with its earliest known roots tracing back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the German word "Clausen," which referred to an enclosed or fortified area, often a small village or town surrounded by walls or fortifications. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have resided in such fortified settlements.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname CLAUSSEN can be found in various medieval manuscripts and records from various regions of Germany, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. One notable example is the mention of a "Johannes Claussen" in a land registry document from the town of Lübeck, dated 1297.
In the 15th century, the name CLAUSSEN appeared in the records of the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans CLAUSSEN was documented as a member of the city's influential guild of traders in 1472.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as CLAUSEN, KLAUSEN, and KLAUSSEN. These variations often reflected local dialects and regional variations in pronunciation.
A notable figure bearing the CLAUSSEN surname was Johann CLAUSSEN (1615-1692), a German theologian and philosopher from Saxony, who authored several influential works on ethics and metaphysics during the 17th century.
Another prominent individual was Carl Friedrich CLAUSSEN (1775-1844), a German botanist and explorer from Hildburghausen. He traveled extensively in Asia and made significant contributions to the study of plant species in regions such as India and Southeast Asia.
In the 19th century, the CLAUSSEN name gained further recognition with the work of Peter CLAUSSEN (1804-1867), a Danish engineer and inventor who developed innovative techniques for the production of cement and concrete. His contributions played a crucial role in the advancement of construction materials and methods.
Other notable figures include Wilhelm CLAUSSEN (1853-1928), a German politician and member of the Reichstag (Imperial Parliament) from 1887 to 1918, and Bernhard CLAUSSEN (1892-1976), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and urban development projects in Berlin and other German cities.
While the CLAUSSEN surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and immigration, particularly to countries with significant German populations, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Claussen
Among Census respondents with the surname Claussen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Claussen 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 Claussen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 3,057
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 123
- Two or more races3.0% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Claussen
Claussen 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
#9,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,457
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 648 places
2020
#9,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,332
-125 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Up 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,757 | 3,456 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,405 | 3,457 | 1.17 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 648 places |
| 2020 | #9,365 | 3,332 | 1.11 | -125 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 40 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 Claussen 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 | #9,405 | #9,365 | 0.4% |
| Count | 3,457 | 3,332 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.11 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Claussen bearers went from 3,457 to 3,332 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,405 to #9,365.
FAQ
Claussen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Claussen?
Name Census estimates that about 3,821 living Americans carry the surname Claussen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,703 residents.
How common is Claussen?
Claussen ranks #9,365 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,332 people with the surname Claussen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,821), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Claussen.
Has Claussen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Claussen went from 3,457 recorded bearers to 3,332. That is a decrease of 125 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,405 to #9,365.
What does the Census say about the background of Claussen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Claussen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Claussen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (3,057 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Claussen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Claussen (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 Claussen mean?
Derived from the German place name Klausen or Clausen, referring to someone who lived near an enclosure or defile. 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 Claussen (1.11 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 Claussen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.