2000
#11,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,545
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Clayborn
A surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone born near or living on clay soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,961 Americans carry the last name Clayborn. That puts it at #11,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,756 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clayborn 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
3.0K
1 in 115,756
Census rank
#11,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,582 bearers of the surname Clayborn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clayborn, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clayborn
The surname Clayborn is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "clæg" meaning clay and "burna" meaning a small stream or brook, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream running through a clay-rich area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Clayborn can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Cleiburne in Derbyshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in certain parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname evolved into various spellings such as Clayborne, Claybourns, and Claybyrne, reflecting regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time. These variations can be found in historical records and documents from various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Warwickshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Clayborn include Sir William Clayborn (1540-1623), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was John Clayborn (1655-1712), a Quaker preacher and author who wrote extensively on religious matters.
In the 17th century, the Clayborn family established themselves in the American colonies, with records showing that Robert Clayborn (1630-1687) was among the early settlers in Virginia. His descendants played a significant role in the development of the American South, with several members serving in the military and holding public offices.
Another notable figure was Major General John Clayborn (1770-1846), an American military officer who served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. He was also a prominent politician and served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
In the 19th century, the Clayborn surname continued to be well-represented in various fields, with individuals such as William Clayborn (1800-1875), a renowned physician and medical writer, and Mary Clayborn (1830-1910), a celebrated poet and educator.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clayborn
Among Census respondents with the surname Clayborn, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Clayborn 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 Clayborn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American51.9% · 1,340
- White37.0% · 955
- Two or more races5.9% · 153
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clayborn
Clayborn 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
#10,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,954
+409 bearers (+16.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 571 places
2020
#11,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,582
-372 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 836 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,366 | 2,545 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,795 | 2,954 | 1.00 | +409 bearers (+16.1%) | Up 571 places |
| 2020 | #11,631 | 2,582 | 0.86 | -372 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 836 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 Clayborn 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 | #10,795 | #11,631 | -7.7% |
| Count | 2,954 | 2,582 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.86 | -13.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clayborn bearers went from 2,954 to 2,582 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 836 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,795 to #11,631.
FAQ
Clayborn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clayborn?
Name Census estimates that about 2,961 living Americans carry the surname Clayborn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,756 residents.
How common is Clayborn?
Clayborn ranks #11,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,582 people with the surname Clayborn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,961), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Clayborn.
Has Clayborn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clayborn went from 2,954 recorded bearers to 2,582. That is a decrease of 372 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,795 to #11,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Clayborn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clayborn, the largest self-reported group is Black at 51.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Clayborn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.9% (1,340 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clayborn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (51.9%), White (37.0%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Clayborn (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 Clayborn mean?
A surname derived from a place name, likely referring to someone born near or living on clay soil. 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 Clayborn (0.86 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 Clayborn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.