2000
#4,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,515
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.79
Rare Last name
Clemmons
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement by the cliff" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,668 Americans carry the last name Clemmons. That puts it at #4,554 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,542 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clemmons 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.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,542
Census rank
#4,554
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,559 bearers of the surname Clemmons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4554th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clemmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clemmons
The surname Clemmons is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the county of Sussex in the south of England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "clam," meaning a small valley or ravine, and the suffix "-tun," meaning a farm or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Clemmund in the village of Climping, which later evolved into the modern surname Clemmons.
In the 13th century, the name was often spelled as "Clemmens" or "Clemens," reflecting the phonetic variations common in those times. Records from this era show individuals bearing the name residing in various parts of Sussex, as well as in neighboring counties such as Kent and Surrey.
During the late medieval period, the surname Clemmons began to appear in official records and documents across England. One notable figure was Sir John Clemmons, a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of London, who lived from 1450 to 1524.
Another prominent individual was Robert Clemmons, a scholar and theologian born in 1540 in Chichester, Sussex. He was educated at Oxford University and later became the Dean of Lincoln Cathedral, making significant contributions to the religious discourse of his time.
In the 17th century, the Clemmons family established itself as landowners and gentry in various parts of England. William Clemmons (1612-1689), a wealthy landowner from Surrey, was knighted by King Charles II for his loyal service during the English Civil War.
As the British Empire expanded, members of the Clemmons family ventured to the American colonies. One such figure was James Clemmons (1724-1798), who settled in Virginia and became a prosperous tobacco planter and landowner.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Clemmons has been associated with various professions, from academics and clergymen to merchants and landowners. While the spelling has evolved over time, the name continues to reflect its English origins and the historical significance of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clemmons
Among Census respondents with the surname Clemmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Clemmons 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 Clemmons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.3% · 4,255
- Black or African American35.0% · 2,649
- Two or more races4.6% · 351
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 215
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clemmons
Clemmons 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
#4,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,914
+399 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Down 114 places
2020
#4,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,559
-355 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,370 | 7,515 | 2.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,484 | 7,914 | 2.68 | +399 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 114 places |
| 2020 | #4,554 | 7,559 | 2.53 | -355 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 70 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 Clemmons 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 | #4,484 | #4,554 | -1.6% |
| Count | 7,914 | 7,559 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.68 | 2.53 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clemmons bearers went from 7,914 to 7,559 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,484 to #4,554.
FAQ
Clemmons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clemmons?
Name Census estimates that about 8,668 living Americans carry the surname Clemmons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,542 residents.
How common is Clemmons?
Clemmons ranks #4,554 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.53 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 7,559 people with the surname Clemmons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,668), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.53 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 Clemmons.
Has Clemmons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clemmons went from 7,914 recorded bearers to 7,559. That is a decrease of 355 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,484 to #4,554.
What does the Census say about the background of Clemmons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clemmons, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Clemmons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.3% (4,255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clemmons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.3%), Black (35.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Clemmons (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 Clemmons mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "settlement by the cliff" in Old English. 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 Clemmons (2.53 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 share the surname Clemmons?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.