2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cloeter
A surname derived from an occupational term related to weaving or textile production.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Cloeter. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cloeter 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Cloeter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cloeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cloeter
The surname Cloeter originated in Germany during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "kloter," meaning "clod" or "lump." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with clods of earth or lumps of material, perhaps a farmer or a laborer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 14th century. In this record, a person named "Henricus Cloter" is mentioned in relation to a land transaction in the town of Meissen.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Westphalia, in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. One notable individual was Hans Cloeter, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Soest in the mid-1500s.
As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Klöter, Cloter, and Klotter. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or linguistic shifts over time.
One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Johann Cloeter, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1490 to 1552. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
Another notable figure was Christoph Cloeter, a German artist and engraver who was born in Augsburg in 1634. He is known for his detailed engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects, some of which are still preserved in museums and collections today.
In the 18th century, a family of Cloeter silversmiths and goldsmiths established themselves in the city of Hanau, in the state of Hesse. Their intricate metalwork and jewelry pieces were highly sought after by nobility and affluent patrons throughout Europe.
Moving into the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Cloeter was Heinrich Cloeter, a German politician and journalist who lived from 1819 to 1892. He was a member of the Prussian National Assembly and a vocal advocate for democratic reforms and civil liberties.
While the surname Cloeter may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and varied iterations across different regions of Germany and Europe serve as a testament to its enduring legacy and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cloeter
Among Census respondents with the surname Cloeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cloeter 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 Cloeter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cloeter
Cloeter 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,164 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 12,164 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,753 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 Cloeter 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 | #146,201 | #147,954 | -1.2% |
| Count | 113 | 112 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cloeter bearers went from 113 to 112 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,753 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #147,954.
FAQ
Cloeter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cloeter?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Cloeter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Cloeter?
Cloeter ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Cloeter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cloeter.
Has Cloeter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cloeter went from 113 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Cloeter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cloeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Cloeter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cloeter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Cloeter (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 Cloeter mean?
A surname derived from an occupational term related to weaving or textile production. 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 Cloeter (0.04 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 Cloeter?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.