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

Clouse, 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 Clouse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clouse in America

Clouse is the 4032nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clouse surname appeared 8,809 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Clouse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clouse 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 Clouse

The surname Clouse is of German origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the old German word "klus" which means "a secluded valley or ravine". The name likely originated from a place name referring to someone who lived in or near such a valley.

One of the earliest known records of the name Clouse can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the 14th century, where it is spelled "Klouse". This suggests that the name was already in use by that time in German-speaking regions.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Clowse" and "Clauß", in various church records and land registries across Germany. One notable individual from this period was Hans Clowse, a farmer from the Rhineland region, who is mentioned in a land deed from 1567.

The Clouse surname gained some prominence in the 18th century with the birth of Johann Friedrich Clouse (1715-1789), a renowned German poet and philosopher. His works, which explored themes of nature and spirituality, were widely read and influential during the Age of Enlightenment.

In the 19th century, the Clouse family became more widespread as some members immigrated to other parts of Europe and the United States. One such individual was Wilhelm Clouse (1825-1901), a German-born entrepreneur who founded a successful furniture business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Another notable figure from this period was Anna Clouse (1838-1916), a pioneering educator and women's rights activist from Bavaria. She was one of the first women in Germany to receive a university degree and dedicated her life to advocating for equal educational opportunities for women.

As the name spread across different regions, various spellings emerged, such as "Claus", "Clauss", and "Klause". However, the "Clouse" spelling remained the most common form in most parts of Germany and among German-American communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clouse

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!