2000
#4,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,453
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.76
Uncommon Last name
Clemente
Derived from the Italian adjective meaning "merciful, gentle, or mild-mannered."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,888 Americans carry the last name Clemente. That puts it at #3,647 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,480 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clemente 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 Clemente with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,480
Census rank
#3,647
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,495 bearers of the surname Clemente in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3647th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clemente, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.9%. The next largest groups are White (35.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clemente
The surname Clemente is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin name Clemens, which means "merciful" or "mild." It originated in Italy during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Clemente can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Italy, such as Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Lombardy. It is believed that the name was initially associated with individuals who exhibited qualities of mercy or gentleness.
In the 14th century, records show the name Clemente appearing in the Venetian Republic, where it was adopted by families residing in cities like Venice and Padua. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Clementi" or "Clementini."
One notable historical figure with the surname Clemente was Muzio Clemente (1550-1612), an Italian philosopher and humanist from Bologna. He was renowned for his contributions to the fields of rhetoric and literature.
In the 16th century, the name Clemente gained prominence in Naples, where it was associated with several influential families. One such family was the Clemente di Montecorvino, who held significant political power in the Kingdom of Naples during the Spanish rule.
In the 18th century, Gian Carlo Clemente (1718-1789) was a prominent Italian architect from Turin. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Palazzo Chiablese and the Church of San Francesco da Paola.
During the 19th century, the surname Clemente spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas due to Italian immigration. One notable individual was Roberto Clemente (1934-1972), a Puerto Rican professional baseball player who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the first Latin American player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Other notable individuals with the surname Clemente include José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949), a Mexican social realist painter and muralist, and Jaime Clemente (1935-2011), a Spanish film director and screenwriter.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clemente
Among Census respondents with the surname Clemente, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.9%. The next largest groups are White (35.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Clemente 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 Clemente surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino47.9% · 4,546
- White35.3% · 3,348
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.1% · 1,244
- Two or more races2.0% · 192
- Black or African American1.7% · 157
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clemente
Clemente 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
#3,626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,797
+2,344 bearers (+31.5%)
Per 100,000 3.32
Rank movement Up 776 places
2020
#3,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,495
-302 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 3.18
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,402 | 7,453 | 2.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,626 | 9,797 | 3.32 | +2,344 bearers (+31.5%) | Up 776 places |
| 2020 | #3,647 | 9,495 | 3.18 | -302 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 21 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 Clemente 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 | #3,626 | #3,647 | -0.6% |
| Count | 9,797 | 9,495 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.32 | 3.18 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clemente bearers went from 9,797 to 9,495 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,626 to #3,647.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Clemente
FAQ
Clemente surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clemente?
Name Census estimates that about 10,888 living Americans carry the surname Clemente. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,480 residents.
How common is Clemente?
Clemente ranks #3,647 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,495 people with the surname Clemente. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,888), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Clemente.
Has Clemente become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clemente went from 9,797 recorded bearers to 9,495. That is a decrease of 302 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,626 to #3,647.
What does the Census say about the background of Clemente?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clemente, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.9%. The next largest groups are White (35.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.1%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Clemente in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.9% (4,546 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clemente appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (47.9%), White (35.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.1%). 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 Clemente (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 Clemente mean?
Derived from the Italian adjective meaning "merciful, gentle, or mild-mannered." 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 Clemente (3.18 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 last name Clemente?
Find out how common the surname Clemente is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.