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

Claw, 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 Claw surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Claw in America

Claw is the 41959th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Claw surname appeared 518 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 Claw.

We can also compare 2010 data for Claw 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 Claw

The surname Claw is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "clawe," which referred to the claws or talons of birds or animals. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a descriptive nickname for someone with long, claw-like fingers or nails, or perhaps someone who worked with animals or birds of prey.

The earliest recorded instance of the Claw surname dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Hundredorum Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273 as "Robert Claw." This indicates that the name was well-established in northern England by that time. Other early spellings include "Clawe," "Clau," and "Clough," which was a regional variant found in Lancashire and Yorkshire.

In the 14th century, the name Claw was documented in various records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, where a certain "John Claw" was mentioned. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also reference a "Richard Claw," indicating the surname's spread across different regions of England.

The Claw surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was Sir John Claw, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Derbyshire during the 14th century. Another notable figure was Richard Claw, a member of the British Parliament who represented the borough of Southwark in the late 16th century.

During the 17th century, the Claw surname gained prominence in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was that of Thomas Claw, who settled in Virginia in 1635. Another early colonist was John Claw, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1638 and later became a prominent citizen of Salem.

In the 18th century, the Claw family played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. Captain William Claw from Connecticut served as an officer in the Continental Army and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.

Another notable figure was Samuel Claw, a British explorer and naturalist born in 1768, who is credited with discovering several new plant and animal species during his expeditions to Africa and South America in the early 19th century.

As the centuries passed, the Claw surname continued to spread across different regions, and various branches of the family emerged, each with their unique histories and contributions to their respective communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Claw

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!