2000
#3,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,489
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.89
Uncommon Last name
Clawson
An English occupational surname derived from the Old Norse word "klaufi," meaning a clumsy person or a clown.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,980 Americans carry the last name Clawson. That puts it at #3,356 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clawson 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Clawson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,611
Census rank
#3,356
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,447 bearers of the surname Clawson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3356th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clawson
The surname Clawson is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "clawu" meaning claw or talon, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement. It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire, during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Clawson can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1297, where a certain William de Claweson is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by the 13th century.
The name Clawson may have initially referred to a person who lived near a settlement known for its association with birds of prey or falconry. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational surname for someone who worked with claws or talons, such as a falconer or a tanner.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a village called "Clauueston" is listed in Nottinghamshire, which may have been an early spelling variation of the name Clawson. This suggests that the name may have also had some connection to a specific place or locality.
Notable individuals with the surname Clawson throughout history include:
1. John Clawson (c. 1600-1680), an English Puritan clergyman and author from Nottinghamshire.
2. Thomas Clawson (1679-1736), a British landowner and Member of Parliament for Peterborough.
3. Elizabeth Clawson (1758-1837), an American Quaker minister and abolitionist from Pennsylvania.
4. Sir Ralph Clawson (1826-1903), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Clawson Engineering Company.
5. Henry Clawson (1865-1947), an American politician who served as the 16th Governor of Utah.
While the surname Clawson has been present in various parts of England for centuries, it has also been carried by individuals who migrated to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada, where it continues to be found today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clawson
Among Census respondents with the surname Clawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Clawson 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 Clawson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 9,348
- Two or more races3.3% · 344
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 328
- Black or African American2.2% · 227
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 79
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clawson
Clawson 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
#3,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,631
+142 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 3.60
Rank movement Down 210 places
2020
#3,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,447
-184 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 3.50
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,150 | 10,489 | 3.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,360 | 10,631 | 3.60 | +142 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 210 places |
| 2020 | #3,356 | 10,447 | 3.50 | -184 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 4 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 Clawson 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 | #3,360 | #3,356 | 0.1% |
| Count | 10,631 | 10,447 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.60 | 3.50 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clawson bearers went from 10,631 to 10,447 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,360 to #3,356.
FAQ
Clawson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clawson?
Name Census estimates that about 11,980 living Americans carry the surname Clawson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,611 residents.
How common is Clawson?
Clawson ranks #3,356 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,447 people with the surname Clawson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Clawson.
Has Clawson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clawson went from 10,631 recorded bearers to 10,447. That is a decrease of 184 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,360 to #3,356.
What does the Census say about the background of Clawson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clawson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Clawson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (9,348 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clawson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Clawson (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 Clawson mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old Norse word "klaufi," meaning a clumsy person or a clown. 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 Clawson (3.50 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 Clawson?
You can see how many people are called Clawson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.