Find out how popular the last name Clavell is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Clavell.

Clavell, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Clavell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clavell in America

Clavell is the 43511th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clavell surname appeared 496 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Clavell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clavell to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Clavell

The surname Clavell is derived from the Latin word 'clavis' meaning 'key'. It is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages.

The name first appeared in English records in the early 12th century, referring to individuals who held the position of a clerk or keeper of keys. In those times, clerks and key keepers played an important role in religious institutions and castles.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Radulfus Clavellus, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1166. Another early reference can be found in the Cartulary of St. Frideswide's Priory in Oxford, where a Richard Clavell was listed as a witness in 1192.

The surname Clavell is closely associated with the county of Dorset in England. The Clavells were an influential family in the area and owned several manors and estates, including Smedmore and Barneston. Sir William Clavell (1497-1554) was a notable member of the family and served as a Member of Parliament for Dorset.

Another prominent figure with this surname was Roger Clavell (1564-1645), an English soldier and adventurer who served under Sir Walter Raleigh in the early expeditions to the Americas. He is credited with establishing the first English settlement on the island of Newfoundland in 1610.

In the 17th century, John Clavell (1601-1643) was a renowned English dramatist and poet. He is best known for his work 'The Soddered Citizen', which satirized the social and political climate of the time.

During the English Civil War, Colonel Robert Clavell (1617-1661) was a prominent Royalist commander who fought for King Charles I. He was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and later executed.

Another notable figure was Aphra Behn (1640-1689), an English playwright and novelist who was one of the first professional female writers in Britain. Her maiden name was Aphra Clavell, and she was likely related to the Dorset family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clavell

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Clavell.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Clavell was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Clavell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Clavell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Clavell, please contact us.

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