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

Clavin, 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 Clavin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clavin in America

Clavin is the 35345th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clavin surname appeared 637 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 Clavin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clavin 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 Clavin

The surname Clavin originates from Ireland, with its roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to be an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Cléirigh, which means "descendant of the cleric." This indicates that the name likely belonged to a family associated with the clergy or religious orders.

Clavin is thought to have originated in County Donegal, specifically in the Inishowen region. The earliest recorded mention of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which references a Brian O'Clery in the year 1292.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, many Irish families were dispossessed of their lands, leading to the widespread adoption of anglicized versions of their traditional Gaelic names. This period likely saw the emergence of the Clavin surname as a variation of Ó Cléirigh.

Notable individuals with the surname Clavin include Michael Clavin (1670-1745), a renowned Irish scribe and historian who compiled the Annals of the Four Masters, a comprehensive chronicle of Irish history. Another notable figure was John Clavin (1720-1792), a Catholic bishop who played a significant role in the establishment of the Catholic Church in the United States.

In the 19th century, Patrick Clavin (1810-1876) was a prominent Irish nationalist and member of the Young Ireland movement, advocating for Irish independence from British rule. Additionally, Mary Clavin (1845-1922) was a pioneering Irish-American educator who founded several schools in New York City.

Lastly, Clavin was the surname of William Clavin (1874-1949), a celebrated Irish-American writer and journalist who worked for several notable publications, including The New York Times and The Saturday Evening Post.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clavin

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

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 Clavin 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 Clavin 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 Clavin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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