2000
#5,196
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.29
Rare Last name
Click
An occupational surname for a builder or repairer of gates and fences, likely derived from an Old English word.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,762 Americans carry the last name Click. That puts it at #5,671 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Click 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
6.8K
1 in 50,688
Census rank
#5,671
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,897 bearers of the surname Click in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5671st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Click, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Click
The surname "Click" is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Old High German word "klicken," which means "to make a clicking sound" or "to clack." This connection suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, given to someone whose work involved making clicking or clacking sounds, such as a clock or watchmaker, or perhaps even a cobbler or carpenter.
In the early days, the name was often spelled as "Klick" or "Klicke," reflecting its Germanic roots. The earliest recorded instance of the name "Click" appears in the Nuremberg census records from 1554, where a certain Hans Klick is listed as a resident of the city.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Klick, a clockmaker from Augsburg who lived from 1567 to 1632. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time, and his work is still celebrated today as a fine example of German craftsmanship.
Another notable figure was Matthias Klick, a renowned astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1621 to 1697. He made significant contributions to the study of planetary motion and was instrumental in refining the calculation of celestial orbits.
In the 18th century, the name "Click" began to appear in various regions of Germany, with pockets of concentration in areas like Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. The Klick family of Freiburg, for instance, produced several notable scholars and academics, including Friedrich Klick (1768-1842), a respected linguist and philologist.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other countries, including the Netherlands and England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England is that of William Click, a merchant from London who lived from 1712 to 1786.
Throughout history, the surname "Click" has been associated with a diverse range of professions and accomplishments, from clockmakers and artisans to scientists and academics. While not as common as some other surnames, it has left an indelible mark on the cultural and intellectual fabric of several nations, reflecting the ingenuity and diligence of those who bore this unique name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Click
Among Census respondents with the surname Click, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Click 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 Click surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 5,235
- Black or African American3.5% · 205
- Two or more races3.5% · 204
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 193
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Click
Click 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
#5,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,216
+40 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 400 places
2020
#5,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,897
-319 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,196 | 6,176 | 2.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,596 | 6,216 | 2.11 | +40 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 400 places |
| 2020 | #5,671 | 5,897 | 1.97 | -319 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 75 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 Click 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 | #5,596 | #5,671 | -1.3% |
| Count | 6,216 | 5,897 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 1.97 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Click bearers went from 6,216 to 5,897 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,596 to #5,671.
FAQ
Click surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Click?
Name Census estimates that about 6,762 living Americans carry the surname Click. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,688 residents.
How common is Click?
Click ranks #5,671 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,897 people with the surname Click. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,762), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Click.
Has Click become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Click went from 6,216 recorded bearers to 5,897. That is a decrease of 319 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,596 to #5,671.
What does the Census say about the background of Click?
Among Census respondents with the surname Click, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Click in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (5,235 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Click appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Black (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Click (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 Click mean?
An occupational surname for a builder or repairer of gates and fences, likely derived from an Old English word. 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 Click (1.97 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 Click?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.