2000
#7,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,063
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Cleland
From a place name meaning "clay land," referring to an area with heavy clay soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,477 Americans carry the last name Cleland. That puts it at #8,119 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,559 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cleland 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 Cleland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,559
Census rank
#8,119
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,904 bearers of the surname Cleland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8119th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cleland, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cleland
The surname Cleland has its origins in Scotland, originating from the lands of Cleland in Lanarkshire. The name is derived from the Gaelic words 'clach' meaning stone and 'leamhan' meaning elm tree, suggesting the name may have been a descriptive one referring to the location of an elm tree near a stone or rocky area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as 'de Clelande', referring to William de Clelande, a landowner from the area.
In the 15th century, the Cleland family held lands in Monkland, near Glasgow, and the name is recorded in various charters and records from that time. A notable member of the family was John Cleland, who lived from around 1400 to 1480 and was a Scottish clergyman and scholar.
The name appears in the 16th century in the records of the Scottish Exchequer Rolls, which document tax payments and other financial transactions. In 1531, John Cleland of Monkland is mentioned as paying a fine for non-appearance at court.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Cleland was William Cleland, a Scottish writer and soldier who lived from 1661 to 1689. He is best known for his erotic novel 'Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure', published under the pseudonym Fanny Hill in 1748.
In the 18th century, the name is associated with James Cleland, a Scottish merchant and plantation owner who lived from 1728 to 1784. He was involved in the tobacco trade and owned plantations in Virginia and Maryland.
Another notable figure was John Cleland, a Scottish artist and engraver who lived from 1770 to 1837. He is known for his detailed engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects, particularly in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.
The 19th century saw the rise of Sir James Cleland, a Scottish businessman and industrialist who lived from 1832 to 1917. He was involved in the iron and steel industry and played a significant role in the development of Glasgow's industrial sector.
Overall, the surname Cleland has a rich history rooted in the lands of Scotland, with various branches and individuals making their mark in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cleland
Among Census respondents with the surname Cleland, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cleland 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 Cleland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 3,540
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 150
- Two or more races2.7% · 107
- Black or African American1.1% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cleland
Cleland 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
#8,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,116
+53 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 492 places
2020
#8,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,904
-212 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,548 | 4,063 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,040 | 4,116 | 1.40 | +53 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 492 places |
| 2020 | #8,119 | 3,904 | 1.31 | -212 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 79 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 Cleland 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 | #8,040 | #8,119 | -1.0% |
| Count | 4,116 | 3,904 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.31 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cleland bearers went from 4,116 to 3,904 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,040 to #8,119.
FAQ
Cleland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cleland?
Name Census estimates that about 4,477 living Americans carry the surname Cleland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,559 residents.
How common is Cleland?
Cleland ranks #8,119 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,904 people with the surname Cleland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Cleland.
Has Cleland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cleland went from 4,116 recorded bearers to 3,904. That is a decrease of 212 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,040 to #8,119.
What does the Census say about the background of Cleland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cleland, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Cleland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (3,540 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cleland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Cleland (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 Cleland mean?
From a place name meaning "clay land," referring to an area with heavy clay soil. 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 Cleland (1.31 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 Cleland?
Find out how many people have the last name Cleland on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.