2000
#2,120
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,685
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.81
Uncommon Last name
Cleary
Derived from the Irish Gaelic "O'Cleirigh," meaning "descendant of the clerk" or "descendant of the cleric."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,681 Americans carry the last name Cleary. That puts it at #2,306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,385 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cleary 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 Cleary with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,385
Census rank
#2,306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,419 bearers of the surname Cleary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cleary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cleary
The surname Cleary is of Irish origin, with its roots traced back to the Gaelic word "O'Cleirigh," which means "descendant of the clerk or cleric." The name is believed to have originated in County Tipperary, Ireland, in the early medieval period.
The Cleary name is believed to have been mentioned in various historical records, such as the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Cormac O'Cleirigh, who lived in the 14th century and was a renowned scribe and scholar.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cleary name was prominent in County Tipperary, particularly in the baronies of Clanwilliam and Middlethird. The name was also found in other counties, including Clare, Cork, and Limerick, where it was sometimes spelled as Clery or Clarie.
One notable figure in Irish history was Michael O'Clery (c. 1575-1643), a Franciscan friar and one of the principal authors of the Annals of the Four Masters. His work was instrumental in preserving Irish history and literature during a time of great turmoil.
In the 18th century, the Cleary name began to spread beyond Ireland as a result of the Irish diaspora. John Cleary (1719-1789) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Waterford, Ireland, and his descendants later settled in various parts of North America and Australia.
Another notable figure was John Cleary (1801-1870), an Irish-born politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons in Canada. He played a significant role in the development of the Canadian legal system and was a staunch advocate for responsible government.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Cleary name was Michael Cleary (1727-1798), an Irish immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and fought in the American Revolutionary War.
Throughout history, the Cleary name has been associated with various occupations, including scholars, clergy, merchants, lawyers, and politicians. The name has also been linked to several place names in Ireland, such as Cleary's Cross and Cleary's Bridge, reflecting the family's deep roots in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cleary
Among Census respondents with the surname Cleary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cleary 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 Cleary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 13,836
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 587
- Black or African American2.8% · 428
- Two or more races2.6% · 401
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 125
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cleary
Cleary 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
#2,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,980
+295 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 5.42
Rank movement Down 160 places
2020
#2,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,419
-561 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 5.16
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,120 | 15,685 | 5.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,280 | 15,980 | 5.42 | +295 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 160 places |
| 2020 | #2,306 | 15,419 | 5.16 | -561 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 26 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 Cleary 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 | #2,280 | #2,306 | -1.1% |
| Count | 15,980 | 15,419 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 5.42 | 5.16 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cleary bearers went from 15,980 to 15,419 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,280 to #2,306.
FAQ
Cleary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cleary?
Name Census estimates that about 17,681 living Americans carry the surname Cleary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,385 residents.
How common is Cleary?
Cleary ranks #2,306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,419 people with the surname Cleary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,681), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Cleary.
Has Cleary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cleary went from 15,980 recorded bearers to 15,419. That is a decrease of 561 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,280 to #2,306.
What does the Census say about the background of Cleary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cleary, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Cleary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (13,836 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cleary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Black (2.8%). 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 Cleary (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 Cleary mean?
Derived from the Irish Gaelic "O'Cleirigh," meaning "descendant of the clerk" or "descendant of the cleric." 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 Cleary (5.16 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 surname Cleary?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.