2000
#7,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,400
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Claypool
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a pool or pond with a clay bed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,806 Americans carry the last name Claypool. That puts it at #7,613 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Claypool 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
4.8K
1 in 71,318
Census rank
#7,613
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,191 bearers of the surname Claypool in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7613th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Claypool, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Claypool
The surname Claypool has its origins in England, and it is believed to have first emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "claeg" meaning clay and "pull" meaning a small stream or pool, suggesting that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a clay pool or stream.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a person named Richard de Claypol is mentioned. This early spelling variation reflects the name's connection to a specific location or place name.
During the Middle Ages, the Claypool surname appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which lists a William de Claypol. This suggests that the name was present in different parts of England at that time.
In the 14th century, a notable individual bearing the Claypool surname was John Claypole (c. 1370 - c. 1440), who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in 1407 and 1414. This early recorded instance of the name highlights its presence among the gentry and political classes of medieval England.
During the 16th century, the Claypool surname continued to be documented, and one prominent figure was Oliver Cromwell's son-in-law, John Claypole (1625 - 1688). John Claypole was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament and held various positions under the Protectorate government.
In the 17th century, another notable individual was Samuel Claypool (1629 - 1687), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Preliminary Discourse to Hevelius' Cometographia" and "The Sovereign Antidote against Antimonial Cups."
As the centuries passed, the Claypool surname spread across different regions of England, and various spelling variations emerged, such as Claypole, Claypoole, and Claypull. These variations reflect the evolving nature of surnames and the influence of local dialects and scribal interpretations.
Throughout history, the Claypool surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, religious figures, and authors, reflecting its enduring presence in English society over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Claypool
Among Census respondents with the surname Claypool, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Claypool 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 Claypool surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 3,683
- Black or African American4.2% · 178
- Two or more races3.8% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Claypool
Claypool 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
#7,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,376
-24 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 573 places
2020
#7,613
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,191
-185 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,022 | 4,400 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,595 | 4,376 | 1.48 | -24 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 573 places |
| 2020 | #7,613 | 4,191 | 1.40 | -185 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 18 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 Claypool 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 | #7,595 | #7,613 | -0.2% |
| Count | 4,376 | 4,191 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.40 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Claypool bearers went from 4,376 to 4,191 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,595 to #7,613.
FAQ
Claypool surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Claypool?
Name Census estimates that about 4,806 living Americans carry the surname Claypool. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,318 residents.
How common is Claypool?
Claypool ranks #7,613 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 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 4,191 people with the surname Claypool. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,806), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 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 Claypool.
Has Claypool become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Claypool went from 4,376 recorded bearers to 4,191. That is a decrease of 185 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,595 to #7,613.
What does the Census say about the background of Claypool?
Among Census respondents with the surname Claypool, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Claypool in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (3,683 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Claypool appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Black (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Claypool (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 Claypool mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a pool or pond with a clay bed. 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 Claypool (1.40 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 common is the surname Claypool?
See how many people are called Claypool on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.