Find out how popular the last name Clements is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Clements.

Clements, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Clements surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clements in America

Clements is the 908th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clements surname appeared 38,044 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Clements.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clements to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Clements

The surname Clements has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Latin name Clemens, meaning "mild" or "merciful". The name was initially introduced to England by Norman settlers after the conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Clements surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a Richard Clement is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England.

During the Middle Ages, the Clements family held lands in various counties across England, including Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire. Some notable places associated with the name include Clements Inn in London, which was an inn of chancery (a law school) established in the 15th century.

The Clements surname has also been linked to several notable historical figures over the centuries. One of the earliest was Sir Robert Clements (c. 1508-1537), a prominent judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. Another was Gregory Clements (1594-1660), an English clergyman and academic who served as the provost of Worcester College, Oxford.

In the 17th century, John Clements (1620-1694) was a successful merchant and Member of Parliament for Aldeburgh, Suffolk. His son, Samuel Clements (1656-1719), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent figure in the East India Company.

During the 18th century, Ralph Clements (1711-1774) was a British Army officer who served in the Seven Years' War and later became Governor of Bengal. In the 19th century, Samuel Clements (1786-1861) was a respected English lawyer and judge who served as a Baron of the Exchequer.

The Clements name has also been carried by several notable authors and writers, including the American novelist and short story writer, Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clements

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Clements.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Clements was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Clements has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Clements was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Clements, please contact us.

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