2000
#13,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Claycomb
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "earthen valley" or "clay valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,389 Americans carry the last name Claycomb. That puts it at #13,883 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,472 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Claycomb 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
2.4K
1 in 143,472
Census rank
#13,883
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,083 bearers of the surname Claycomb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13883rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Claycomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Claycomb
The surname Claycomb has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It derives from the Old English words "claeg" meaning clay and "cumb" meaning a valley or hollow. The name likely originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a clay valley or dell.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Claicombe." This entry suggests that the name was already established in certain parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the Middle Ages, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Devon and Somerset in southwestern England. It is believed that the earliest bearers of the name were landowners or tenants in these areas, which were known for their clay-rich soil and valleys.
The name underwent various spelling variations over the centuries, including Claycombe, Claycomb, Claycomp, and Claycumb. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during those times.
Notable individuals bearing the Claycomb surname include:
1. William Claycombe (c. 1545 - 1609), an English landowner and member of the gentry in Devon.
2. John Claycomb (c. 1620 - 1678), a farmer and one of the earliest settlers in the Virginia Colony.
3. Elizabeth Claycombe (c. 1670 - 1745), a prominent Quaker minister and writer from Bristol, England.
4. Thomas Claycomb (1738 - 1812), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War.
5. Robert Claycomb (1802 - 1876), an influential Scottish-born industrialist and philanthropist in the United States.
Over time, some branches of the Claycomb family migrated to other parts of Britain, as well as to British colonies in North America and elsewhere. However, the name has retained its strongest ties to its origins in the southwestern regions of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Claycomb
Among Census respondents with the surname Claycomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Claycomb 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 Claycomb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,893
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 75
- Black or African American2.5% · 52
- Two or more races2.4% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Claycomb
Claycomb 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
#13,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,170
+59 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 660 places
2020
#13,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,083
-87 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,256 | 2,111 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,916 | 2,170 | 0.74 | +59 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 660 places |
| 2020 | #13,883 | 2,083 | 0.70 | -87 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 33 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 Claycomb 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 | #13,916 | #13,883 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,170 | 2,083 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.70 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Claycomb bearers went from 2,170 to 2,083 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,916 to #13,883.
FAQ
Claycomb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Claycomb?
Name Census estimates that about 2,389 living Americans carry the surname Claycomb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,472 residents.
How common is Claycomb?
Claycomb ranks #13,883 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,083 people with the surname Claycomb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,389), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Claycomb.
Has Claycomb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Claycomb went from 2,170 recorded bearers to 2,083. That is a decrease of 87 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,916 to #13,883.
What does the Census say about the background of Claycomb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Claycomb, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (2.5%). 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 Claycomb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,893 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Claycomb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (2.5%). 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 Claycomb (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 Claycomb mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "earthen valley" or "clay valley." 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 Claycomb (0.70 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 Claycomb?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.