Find out how popular the last name Clinkscales is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Clinkscales.

Clinkscales, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Clinkscales surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clinkscales in America

Clinkscales is the 14624th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clinkscales surname appeared 2,035 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Clinkscales.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clinkscales to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Clinkscales

The surname Clinkscales is believed to have originated in England, likely in the medieval period or earlier. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "clink," meaning a sharp or ringing sound, combined with "scalu," meaning shell or scale. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with metal or armor, creating a clinking or ringing sound.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, a census-like record from 1273, which mentions a Hugo Clinkscales. This indicates the name was already in use by the late 13th century in the English county of Huntingdonshire.

The Clinkscales surname also appears in various other historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, which lists a John Clynkscales. This variation in spelling was common in earlier times before standardized spellings became more widespread.

In the 16th century, the name is recorded in the parish registers of St. Michael's Church in Burgh-by-Sands, Cumberland (now part of Cumbria), where a Thomas Clinkscales was christened in 1589. This suggests the name had spread to other parts of northern England by this time.

Notable individuals with the Clinkscales surname throughout history include:

1. Gilbert Clinkscales (c. 1590-1660), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Westmorland in the 1620s.
2. William Clinkscales (1665-1732), a merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England, who played a significant role in the city's trade with the American colonies.
3. John Clinkscales (1721-1790), a Scottish philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on moral philosophy and natural theology.
4. Mary Clinkscales (1788-1876), an American pioneer and early settler in the state of Kentucky, known for her diary detailing the hardships of frontier life.
5. James Clinkscales (1832-1905), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in the late 19th century.

While the Clinkscales surname is relatively uncommon today, its long history and varied spellings across different regions of England, Scotland, and beyond point to its enduring presence throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clinkscales

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Clinkscales.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Clinkscales was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Clinkscales has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Clinkscales was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Clinkscales, please contact us.

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