2000
#843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,237
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.80
Uncommon Last name
Clements
Derived from the given name Clement, meaning "merciful" or "gentle," originally from Latin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 42,026 Americans carry the last name Clements. That puts it at #933 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,156 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clements 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 Clements with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,156
Census rank
#933
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
37K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,649 bearers of the surname Clements in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 933rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clements, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clements
Among Census respondents with the surname Clements, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Clements 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 Clements surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.9% · 30,010
- Black or African American9.4% · 3,448
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,444
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,267
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 264
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 216
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clements
Clements 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
#908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,044
+807 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 12.90
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,649
-1,395 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 12.26
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #843 | 37,237 | 13.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #908 | 38,044 | 12.90 | +807 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #933 | 36,649 | 12.26 | -1,395 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 25 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 Clements 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 | #908 | #933 | -2.8% |
| Count | 38,044 | 36,649 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 12.90 | 12.26 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clements bearers went from 38,044 to 36,649 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #908 to #933.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Clements
FAQ
Clements surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clements?
Name Census estimates that about 42,026 living Americans carry the surname Clements. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,156 residents.
How common is Clements?
Clements ranks #933 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,649 people with the surname Clements. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (42,026), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Clements.
Has Clements become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clements went from 38,044 recorded bearers to 36,649. That is a decrease of 1,395 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #908 to #933.
What does the Census say about the background of Clements?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clements, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Clements in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (30,010 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clements appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.9%), Black (9.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Clements (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 Clements mean?
Derived from the given name Clement, meaning "merciful" or "gentle," originally from Latin. 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 Clements (12.26 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 Clements?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Clements on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.