2000
#32,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 672
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Claybrooks
Possibly derived from an English place name relating to a brook near a clayey area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 854 Americans carry the last name Claybrooks. That puts it at #32,985 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 401,352 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Claybrooks 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
854
1 in 401,352
Census rank
#32,985
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
745
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 745 bearers of the surname Claybrooks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32985th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Claybrooks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Claybrooks
The surname Claybrooks is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a place called Claybroke or Claybrooks, which was likely a small settlement or farmstead in one of the English counties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Claibroc." This entry suggests that the name was already in use before the Norman Conquest of 1066 and may have its roots in Old English or Anglo-Saxon language.
The name is thought to be a combination of two elements: "clay," referring to the type of soil found in the area, and "brook," meaning a small stream or watercourse. This composition indicates that the original Claybrooks settlement was likely situated near a brook flowing through clayey soil.
Some variations in spelling can be found throughout historical records, such as Claibroke, Claybrooke, and Claybroke. These variations reflect the evolution of the English language and the regional dialects in which the name was pronounced and recorded.
One notable individual bearing this surname was Thomas Claybrooks (c. 1570-1624), an English clergyman who served as the rector of St. Giles-in-the-Fields in London during the early 17th century. Another was Sir William Claybrooks (1605-1682), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Warwickshire during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, John Claybrooks (1732-1802) was a prominent merchant and ship owner based in Bristol, England, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade with the Americas. His son, Robert Claybrooks (1768-1834), followed in his footsteps and became a successful shipbuilder and naval contractor.
One of the most notable individuals with this surname was Sir Edward Claybrooks (1812-1891), a British military officer and explorer who served in the Indian Army and led several expeditions in the Himalayan region, making important contributions to the mapping and surveying of the area.
While the surname Claybrooks is not among the most common in England, it has a long and intriguing history that reflects the country's linguistic and cultural heritage, as well as the stories of individuals who bore this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Claybrooks
Among Census respondents with the surname Claybrooks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Claybrooks 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 Claybrooks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.8% · 647
- White6.6% · 49
- Two or more races4.8% · 36
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Claybrooks
Claybrooks 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
#30,390
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 769
+97 bearers (+14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 1,912 places
2020
#32,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 745
-24 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 2,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,302 | 672 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,390 | 769 | 0.26 | +97 bearers (+14.4%) | Up 1,912 places |
| 2020 | #32,985 | 745 | 0.25 | -24 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 2,595 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 Claybrooks 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 | #30,390 | #32,985 | -8.5% |
| Count | 769 | 745 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.25 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Claybrooks bearers went from 769 to 745 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 2,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,390 to #32,985.
FAQ
Claybrooks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Claybrooks?
Name Census estimates that about 854 living Americans carry the surname Claybrooks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 401,352 residents.
How common is Claybrooks?
Claybrooks ranks #32,985 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 745 people with the surname Claybrooks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (854), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Claybrooks.
Has Claybrooks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Claybrooks went from 769 recorded bearers to 745. That is a decrease of 24 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #30,390 to #32,985.
What does the Census say about the background of Claybrooks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Claybrooks, the largest self-reported group is Black at 86.8%. The next largest groups are White (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Claybrooks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (647 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Claybrooks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (86.8%), White (6.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Claybrooks (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 Claybrooks mean?
Possibly derived from an English place name relating to a brook near a clayey area. 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 Claybrooks (0.25 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 Claybrooks?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Claybrooks at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.