2000
#11,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,420
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Claytor
An English occupational surname denoting a clayworker, one who digs or works with clay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,798 Americans carry the last name Claytor. That puts it at #12,185 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,500 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Claytor 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
2.8K
1 in 122,500
Census rank
#12,185
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,440 bearers of the surname Claytor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12185th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Claytor, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Claytor
The surname Claytor is of English origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "claeg" meaning clay, and "tor" meaning a rocky hill or a tor, suggesting that the name may have referred to a person who lived near a clayey hill or tor.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Claytor can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, where it appears as "Claytor". This suggests that the name may have originated in the Yorkshire region of England.
In the 16th century, the surname was also recorded in various spellings such as "Cleytor" and "Claitur" in parish records and court documents across various parts of England, indicating the name's spread and variations in spelling.
One notable historical reference to the name Claytor is found in the will of Thomas Claytor of Ripon, Yorkshire, dated 1585. This document provides valuable insight into the family's presence in the region during that time period.
Over the centuries, several individuals bearing the surname Claytor have left their mark in various fields. One such example is John Claytor (1590-1675), an English clergyman and author who served as Rector of Rawmarsh in Yorkshire.
Another prominent figure was Samuel Claytor (1720-1808), a pioneer and settler in Virginia, United States. He played a significant role in the early exploration and settlement of the region.
In the 19th century, William Claytor (1816-1890) was a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur in Virginia, known for his involvement in the development of the railroad industry in the state.
The name Claytor has also been associated with various place names, such as Claytor Lake, a reservoir located in Pulaski County, Virginia, named after the Claytor family who owned land in the area.
While the surname Claytor may have originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and settlement patterns. However, the name's roots can be traced back to its English origins and the geographical features that likely inspired its formation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Claytor
Among Census respondents with the surname Claytor, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Claytor 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 Claytor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 1,608
- Black or African American24.3% · 593
- Two or more races5.9% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Claytor
Claytor 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
#12,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,526
+106 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 456 places
2020
#12,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,440
-86 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,851 | 2,420 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,307 | 2,526 | 0.86 | +106 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 456 places |
| 2020 | #12,185 | 2,440 | 0.82 | -86 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 122 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 Claytor 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 | #12,307 | #12,185 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,526 | 2,440 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.82 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Claytor bearers went from 2,526 to 2,440 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 122 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,307 to #12,185.
FAQ
Claytor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Claytor?
Name Census estimates that about 2,798 living Americans carry the surname Claytor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,500 residents.
How common is Claytor?
Claytor ranks #12,185 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,440 people with the surname Claytor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,798), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Claytor.
Has Claytor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Claytor went from 2,526 recorded bearers to 2,440. That is a decrease of 86 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,307 to #12,185.
What does the Census say about the background of Claytor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Claytor, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.3%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Claytor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (1,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Claytor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.9%), Black (24.3%), 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 Claytor (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 Claytor mean?
An English occupational surname denoting a clayworker, one who digs or works with clay. 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 Claytor (0.82 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 share the surname Claytor?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.