2000
#13,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,985
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Clinger
An occupational surname for someone who made or repaired locks, latches, or bolts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,394 Americans carry the last name Clinger. That puts it at #13,863 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,172 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clinger 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
2.4K
1 in 143,172
Census rank
#13,863
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,088 bearers of the surname Clinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13863rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clinger
The surname Clinger has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "klingen," which means "to cling" or "to adhere." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who clung tenaciously to a particular belief or way of life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the town records of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Clinger is mentioned as a resident in 1547. The name also appears in various church records from the same time period in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
In the 17th century, the Clinger name can be found in the records of the German city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Johann Clinger is listed as having traded goods with the Netherlands and England. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its original regional boundaries.
As the centuries progressed, the Clinger surname began to appear in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and the movement of people. One notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Clinger, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1752 to 1831. He is best known for his plays and essays that explored themes of social justice and human rights.
In the 19th century, the Clinger name found its way to North America, with several families settling in Pennsylvania and Ohio. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Jacob Clinger, who was born in 1812 in Pennsylvania and served as a private in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Another notable figure with the Clinger surname was Henry Clinger, a German-American architect who lived from 1876 to 1945. He is known for his contributions to the Art Deco style and designed several iconic buildings in New York City, including the Chanin Building and the Century Apartments.
Throughout history, the Clinger surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, soldiers, and businesspeople. While it may have originated as a descriptive name related to a particular characteristic or occupation, it has since become a diverse and widespread surname found across multiple continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Clinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Clinger 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 Clinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,903
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 71
- Two or more races3.3% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 20
- Black or African American0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clinger
Clinger 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
#14,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,004
+19 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 860 places
2020
#13,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,088
+84 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 940 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,943 | 1,985 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,803 | 2,004 | 0.68 | +19 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 860 places |
| 2020 | #13,863 | 2,088 | 0.70 | +84 bearers (+4.2%) | Up 940 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 Clinger 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 | #14,803 | #13,863 | 6.4% |
| Count | 2,004 | 2,088 | 4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.70 | 2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clinger bearers went from 2,004 to 2,088 (+4.2% change). The surname moved up 940 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,803 to #13,863.
FAQ
Clinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clinger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,394 living Americans carry the surname Clinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,172 residents.
How common is Clinger?
Clinger ranks #13,863 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,088 people with the surname Clinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,394), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Clinger.
Has Clinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clinger went from 2,004 recorded bearers to 2,088. That is an increase of 84 (+4.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,803 to #13,863.
What does the Census say about the background of Clinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Clinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,903 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Clinger (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 Clinger mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made or repaired locks, latches, or bolts. 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 Clinger (0.70 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 Clinger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.