2000
#12,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,224
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Clendenin
Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Gille Fhinnéin, meaning "son of the servant of Saint Finnian."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,647 Americans carry the last name Clendenin. That puts it at #12,762 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,488 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clendenin 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
2.6K
1 in 129,488
Census rank
#12,762
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,308 bearers of the surname Clendenin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12762nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clendenin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clendenin
The surname Clendenin is of Scottish origin, traced back to the 14th century. It is a locational name derived from the lands of Clendenning, located near the village of Troqueer in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. The name is believed to have originated from the Gaelic words "Cluain" meaning "meadow" and "Deanuinn" meaning "defence or fortification."
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to 1329, when a Robert de Clendonyn was mentioned in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls. In the 15th century, the name appeared in the records of the Diocese of Glasgow as "Clendenning." The Clendenins were a notable family in Galloway, Scotland, and their ancestral lands were located in Troqueer Parish.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Clendenin, who was born in Scotland around 1640. He immigrated to Ulster, Ireland, in the late 17th century and settled in County Antrim. His descendants later migrated to America in the early 18th century, establishing themselves in various colonies, including Pennsylvania and Virginia.
In the 18th century, a notable figure named Archibald Clendenin (1733-1799) played a significant role in the early settlement of West Virginia. He served as a surveyor and land agent and was instrumental in the founding of Charleston, the state's capital city. Archibald's brother, Robert Clendenin (1736-1816), was also a prominent figure in the region and served as a militia officer during the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable bearer of the name was Charles John Clendenin (1802-1862), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the early 19th century. He was involved in several naval engagements, including the Battle of Navarino in 1827.
In the literary world, Jane Clendenin (1881-1974) was an American author and poet known for her works on nature and spirituality. She published several books, including "The Tropic Garden" and "The Mysteries of the Renaissance."
The surname Clendenin has also been associated with various place names, such as Clendenin, West Virginia, a town named after Archibald Clendenin, and Clendenin Creek, a tributary of the Kanawha River in the same state.
While the surname Clendenin is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clendenin
Among Census respondents with the surname Clendenin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Clendenin 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 Clendenin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,096
- Two or more races3.5% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 56
- Black or African American2.4% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clendenin
Clendenin 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
#13,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,315
+91 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 464 places
2020
#12,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,308
-7 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 441 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,739 | 2,224 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,203 | 2,315 | 0.78 | +91 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 464 places |
| 2020 | #12,762 | 2,308 | 0.77 | -7 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 441 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 Clendenin 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 | #13,203 | #12,762 | 3.3% |
| Count | 2,315 | 2,308 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.77 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clendenin bearers went from 2,315 to 2,308 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 441 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,203 to #12,762.
FAQ
Clendenin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clendenin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,647 living Americans carry the surname Clendenin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,488 residents.
How common is Clendenin?
Clendenin ranks #12,762 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,308 people with the surname Clendenin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,647), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Clendenin.
Has Clendenin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clendenin went from 2,315 recorded bearers to 2,308. That is a decrease of 7 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,203 to #12,762.
What does the Census say about the background of Clendenin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clendenin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Clendenin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,096 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clendenin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Clendenin (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 Clendenin mean?
Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Mac Gille Fhinnéin, meaning "son of the servant of Saint Finnian." 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 Clendenin (0.77 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 surname Clendenin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.