2000
#2,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.50
Uncommon Last name
Clevenger
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold nails or cleavers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,396 Americans carry the last name Clevenger. That puts it at #3,007 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clevenger 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
13K
1 in 25,586
Census rank
#3,007
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,682 bearers of the surname Clevenger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3007th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clevenger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clevenger
The surname Clevenger has its origins in the German language, and it can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, which was once part of the Holy Roman Empire. The name is derived from the Old German word "kleber," which means "to adhere" or "to stick."
In its earliest form, the name was spelled as "Kleber" or "Kleber." It is thought to have been an occupational name, given to individuals who worked with adhesives or glues, such as bookbinders or shoemakers. Over time, the spelling evolved, and the name took on various forms, including "Clevenger," "Klevenger," and "Klevinger."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Brandenburg region of Germany. In this document, a certain "Johannes Kleber" is mentioned in the year 1348.
Another notable early reference to the name comes from the Heidelberg University archives, where a student named "Petrus Clevenger" is listed as having attended the university in the late 15th century.
One of the most famous individuals to bear the Clevenger surname was Hans Clevenger, a German merchant and explorer who lived in the 16th century (1520-1587). He is known for his travels to the Americas and his detailed accounts of the indigenous peoples and cultures he encountered.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Clevenger family settled in the Netherlands, where the name was sometimes spelled "Klevenger." One notable member of this branch was Pieter Klevenger (1632-1701), a Dutch painter and engraver who was renowned for his landscapes and still-life works.
Another significant figure was Johann Clevenger (1685-1754), a German philosopher and theologian who made important contributions to the field of moral philosophy. He was a professor at the University of Halle and wrote several influential works on ethics and moral reasoning.
As the centuries passed, the Clevenger name spread across Europe and eventually made its way to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation, its Germanic roots and connections to occupations involving adhesives or binding remain a part of its rich historical legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clevenger
Among Census respondents with the surname Clevenger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Clevenger 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 Clevenger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 10,665
- Two or more races3.9% · 460
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 346
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 75
- Black or African American0.5% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clevenger
Clevenger 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
#2,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,428
+282 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 4.21
Rank movement Down 164 places
2020
#3,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,682
-746 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 3.91
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,725 | 12,146 | 4.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,889 | 12,428 | 4.21 | +282 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 164 places |
| 2020 | #3,007 | 11,682 | 3.91 | -746 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 118 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 Clevenger 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 | #2,889 | #3,007 | -4.1% |
| Count | 12,428 | 11,682 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.21 | 3.91 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clevenger bearers went from 12,428 to 11,682 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,889 to #3,007.
FAQ
Clevenger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clevenger?
Name Census estimates that about 13,396 living Americans carry the surname Clevenger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,586 residents.
How common is Clevenger?
Clevenger ranks #3,007 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,682 people with the surname Clevenger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,396), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Clevenger.
Has Clevenger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clevenger went from 12,428 recorded bearers to 11,682. That is a decrease of 746 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,889 to #3,007.
What does the Census say about the background of Clevenger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clevenger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Clevenger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (10,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clevenger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Clevenger (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 Clevenger mean?
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold nails or cleavers. 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 Clevenger (3.91 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 Clevenger?
You can see how many people have the surname Clevenger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.