2000
#13,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Clear
An English surname derived from a nickname for a person with a fair complexion or light-colored hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,365 Americans carry the last name Clear. That puts it at #13,999 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clear 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Clear with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 144,928
Census rank
#13,999
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,062 bearers of the surname Clear in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13999th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clear, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clear
The surname Clear has its origins in England, and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "claere" or "clere," which meant bright or shining. This may have been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a bright complexion or a cheerful disposition.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded in various spellings such as Clere, Cleer, and Cler in different regions of England. The earliest known record of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1221, which mentions a person named Richard le Clere.
The name Clear can also be associated with certain place names in England, such as Clere in Hampshire, which was once spelled as "Cler." It is possible that some individuals may have adopted the surname as a reference to their place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Clear was Sir John Clere, who lived in the late 14th century and served as a member of Parliament for Norfolk in 1380 and 1384.
Another notable figure with this surname was Sir Edward Clear (1617-1707), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wigan in 1660.
In the 17th century, the surname Clear was found in various parts of England, including London, where John Clear (1628-1707), a prominent merchant and member of the East India Company, lived and worked.
The name also appeared in the historical records of Scotland, with figures like Alexander Clear (1697-1755), a Scottish minister and author who wrote several religious works.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Clear was Sir Ralph Clear (1792-1865), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became an Admiral.
While the surname Clear has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clear
Among Census respondents with the surname Clear, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Clear 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 Clear surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 1,660
- Black or African American10.4% · 215
- Two or more races4.8% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clear
Clear 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
#13,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,234
+155 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 143 places
2020
#13,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,062
-172 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 427 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,429 | 2,079 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,572 | 2,234 | 0.76 | +155 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 143 places |
| 2020 | #13,999 | 2,062 | 0.69 | -172 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 427 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 Clear 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 | #13,572 | #13,999 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,234 | 2,062 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.69 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clear bearers went from 2,234 to 2,062 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 427 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,572 to #13,999.
FAQ
Clear surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clear?
Name Census estimates that about 2,365 living Americans carry the surname Clear. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,928 residents.
How common is Clear?
Clear ranks #13,999 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,062 people with the surname Clear. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,365), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Clear.
Has Clear become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clear went from 2,234 recorded bearers to 2,062. That is a decrease of 172 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,572 to #13,999.
What does the Census say about the background of Clear?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clear, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Clear in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (1,660 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clear appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (10.4%), 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 Clear (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 Clear mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for a person with a fair complexion or light-colored hair. 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 Clear (0.69 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 are called Clear?
See how many Americans have the surname Clear on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.