2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Clofer
A variant spelling of the German surname Kloefer meaning "cloister dweller."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Clofer. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clofer 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Clofer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clofer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clofer
The surname CLOFER has its origins in the English counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, where it first appeared in the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "clof" meaning "cleft" or "cloven" and "fer" meaning "a journey or path", referring to someone who lived near a cleft or ravine along a well-traveled path.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire from 1272, where a Robert de Cloffare is listed as a landowner. The name also appears in various forms in Medieval English records, such as Cloffer, Cloffere, and Clofere.
In the 14th century, the CLOFER surname is found in the Manor Court Rolls of Duffield, Derbyshire, indicating that the family had established roots in the area. A John Clofer is recorded as holding land in Duffield in 1346.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name spread to other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Notable bearers of the CLOFER name from this period include William Clofer (c. 1520-1592), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Doncaster, and Elizabeth Clofer (1602-1678), a Puritan emigrant to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
In the 18th century, the Reverend Thomas Clofer (1723-1798) was a prominent clergyman and author from Lincolnshire, known for his works on religious philosophy. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Clofer (1745-1821), a Member of Parliament for Derby and a vocal supporter of the abolition of the slave trade.
Moving into the 19th century, the CLOFER surname continued to be associated with notable individuals, such as the writer and journalist Sarah Clofer (1812-1884) and the industrialist John Clofer (1838-1912), who founded the Clofer Manufacturing Company in Birmingham.
Throughout its history, the CLOFER surname has maintained a strong presence in the Midlands region of England, particularly in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, where it originated. While the name has spread to other parts of the world through migration, its roots can be traced back to the rolling hills and cloven paths of these historic counties.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clofer
Among Census respondents with the surname Clofer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Clofer 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 Clofer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.1% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clofer
Clofer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,353 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,353 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 Clofer 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 | #144,141 | #142,788 | 0.9% |
| Count | 115 | 119 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clofer bearers went from 115 to 119 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,353 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #142,788.
FAQ
Clofer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clofer?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Clofer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Clofer?
Clofer ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Clofer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Clofer.
Has Clofer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clofer went from 115 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Clofer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clofer, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Clofer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clofer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (89.1%), Hispanic (7.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Clofer (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 Clofer mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Kloefer meaning "cloister dweller." 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 Clofer (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 have the last name Clofer?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Clofer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.