2000
#13,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,039
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Clinkscales
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "a ravine with a noisy stream."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,282 Americans carry the last name Clinkscales. That puts it at #14,439 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,199 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clinkscales 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
2.3K
1 in 150,199
Census rank
#14,439
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,990 bearers of the surname Clinkscales in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14439th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clinkscales, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.5%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clinkscales
Among Census respondents with the surname Clinkscales, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.5%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Clinkscales 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 Clinkscales surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.7% · 1,049
- White37.5% · 746
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 91
- Two or more races4.5% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clinkscales
Clinkscales 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
#14,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,035
-4 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 976 places
2020
#14,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,990
-45 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,648 | 2,039 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,624 | 2,035 | 0.69 | -4 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 976 places |
| 2020 | #14,439 | 1,990 | 0.67 | -45 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 185 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 Clinkscales 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 | #14,624 | #14,439 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,035 | 1,990 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.67 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clinkscales bearers went from 2,035 to 1,990 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 185 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,624 to #14,439.
FAQ
Clinkscales surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clinkscales?
Name Census estimates that about 2,282 living Americans carry the surname Clinkscales. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,199 residents.
How common is Clinkscales?
Clinkscales ranks #14,439 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,990 people with the surname Clinkscales. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,282), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Clinkscales.
Has Clinkscales become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clinkscales went from 2,035 recorded bearers to 1,990. That is a decrease of 45 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,624 to #14,439.
What does the Census say about the background of Clinkscales?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clinkscales, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.5%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Clinkscales in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.7% (1,049 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clinkscales appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.7%), White (37.5%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Clinkscales (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 Clinkscales mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "a ravine with a noisy stream." 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 Clinkscales (0.67 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 Clinkscales?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.