2000
#3,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,032
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.35
Uncommon Last name
Clough
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a ravine, cliff, or steep hillside.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,184 Americans carry the last name Clough. That puts it at #3,885 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,656 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clough 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Clough with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,656
Census rank
#3,885
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,881 bearers of the surname Clough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3885th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clough, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clough
The surname Clough is of English origin and is believed to have originated in the 13th century. It is a habitational name derived from the Old English word "cloh," meaning a ravine or valley. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a ravine or valley.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Clough can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Cloha." This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century and was likely associated with a particular location or place name.
Throughout the medieval period, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts with different spellings, such as Cloughe, Clowghe, and Cluff. These variations reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Henry Clough, a knight who lived in the 14th century and was involved in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Another notable figure was William Clough, a 16th-century English composer and organist who served at the Chapel Royal during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in several place names, such as Clough Head in Lancashire and Clough Lees in Yorkshire. These place names likely derived from the original Old English word "cloh" and may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname.
Arthur Hugh Clough, an English poet and educator, was born in 1819 and is considered one of the most significant poets of the Victorian era. His works, including "The Bothie of Tober-na-Vuolich" and "Dipsychus," explored themes of doubt, religious skepticism, and social commentary.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Anne Clough, an English writer and feminist who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. She published several works advocating for women's rights and education, including "Letters on the Improvement of the Mind" and "Memoirs of the Life of David Clough."
In the 20th century, Brian Clough (1935-2004) was a renowned English football player and manager. He led the Nottingham Forest team to success, winning the European Cup twice in 1979 and 1980, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers in the history of English football.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clough
Among Census respondents with the surname Clough, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Clough 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 Clough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 7,792
- Two or more races3.9% · 342
- Black or African American3.6% · 320
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 318
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clough
Clough 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
#3,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,339
+307 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.17
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#3,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,881
-458 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.97
Rank movement Down 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,616 | 9,032 | 3.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,789 | 9,339 | 3.17 | +307 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #3,885 | 8,881 | 2.97 | -458 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 96 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 Clough 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 | #3,789 | #3,885 | -2.5% |
| Count | 9,339 | 8,881 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.17 | 2.97 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clough bearers went from 9,339 to 8,881 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,789 to #3,885.
FAQ
Clough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clough?
Name Census estimates that about 10,184 living Americans carry the surname Clough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,656 residents.
How common is Clough?
Clough ranks #3,885 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,881 people with the surname Clough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,184), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Clough.
Has Clough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clough went from 9,339 recorded bearers to 8,881. That is a decrease of 458 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,789 to #3,885.
What does the Census say about the background of Clough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clough, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Black (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Clough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (7,792 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Black (3.6%). 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 Clough (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 Clough mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a ravine, cliff, or steep hillside. 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 Clough (2.97 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 Clough?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.