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

Clothier, 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 Clothier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clothier in America

Clothier is the 17851st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clothier surname appeared 1,567 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 Clothier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clothier 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 Clothier

The surname Clothier has its origins in England, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "clāþere," meaning "a maker or seller of cloth." This name was originally given to individuals involved in the cloth trade, either as weavers, merchants, or tailors.

Clothier is a variation of the more common spelling "Clothier," which can be found in several historical records and documents. One of the earliest known references to this surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199, where a person named William le Clothier is mentioned.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Clothier gained prominence in several regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Gloucestershire. These areas were renowned for their thriving textile industries, and it is likely that many individuals with this surname were employed in the production or trade of woolen cloth.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners and their holdings, several entries for individuals with the surname Clothier can be found, including John Clothier from Oxfordshire and Robert le Clothier from Lincolnshire.

One notable figure from the 14th century was John Clothier, a wealthy cloth merchant from Bristol who served as the city's mayor in 1376. He played a significant role in establishing Bristol as a major center for the wool trade during that period.

In the 15th century, the surname Clothier appeared in various forms, such as Clothyere, Clothyer, and Clother. One example is William Clothyer, a merchant from London who was recorded in the city's records in 1487.

Another prominent individual with this surname was John Clothier (c. 1520-1592), a English clergyman and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Derby from 1582 until his death.

Other notable figures with the surname Clothier include:

1. William Clothier (1737-1815), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Ohio.
2. George Clothier (1808-1877), a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Clothworkers' Company in London.
3. Robert Clothier (1919-2005), an American educational administrator who served as the president of Rutgers University from 1957 to 1962.
4. William Clothier (1768-1828), an English artist and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
5. George Clothier (1842-1918), a British engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to steam engines and boilers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clothier

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

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 Clothier 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 Clothier 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 Clothier was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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