2000
#10,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,929
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Clouser
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of nails or claws, derived from German "Klausner".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,159 Americans carry the last name Clouser. That puts it at #11,027 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clouser 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
3.2K
1 in 108,501
Census rank
#11,027
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,755 bearers of the surname Clouser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11027th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clouser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clouser
The surname Clouser is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Klause," which means a hermitage or a small, secluded dwelling. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in such a place or was associated with a hermitage or monastery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Clouser can be found in the town of Schmalkalden, located in the present-day state of Thuringia, Germany. In a church record from 1612, a certain Johann Clouser is mentioned as a resident of the town. This provides evidence that the name was already in use in the early 17th century.
Another early reference to the name Clouser comes from the town of Wiesbaden, located in the state of Hesse, Germany. In a document dated 1685, a man named Hans Clouser is listed as a landowner in the area. This further reinforces the presence of the name in various regions of Germany during the 17th century.
As the Clouser family migrated and settled in different parts of the world, the name underwent slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. In some regions, it was spelled as Clauser or Klauser, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences.
One notable individual bearing the Clouser surname was Johann Friedrich Clouser, a German philosopher and theologian born in 1715 in the town of Marburg. He was known for his writings on ethics and moral philosophy and served as a professor at the University of Marburg until his death in 1788.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Clouser, a German-born architect who lived from 1820 to 1892. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in the city of Berlin, including the Königliche Bibliothek (Royal Library) and the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery).
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Clouser surname can be found in the 18th century. Jacob Clouser, a German immigrant, settled in Pennsylvania in the 1740s and established a farm in what is now Lancaster County. His descendants went on to become prominent figures in the local community, with some serving as public officials and others contributing to the agricultural and business sectors.
Another notable American with the Clouser surname was Charles Clouser, a businessman and philanthropist born in 1858 in Pennsylvania. He founded the Clouser Knitting Company, which became a successful textile manufacturing enterprise, and he was known for his generous contributions to various educational and charitable organizations.
While the Clouser surname is not among the most common in the world, it has a rich history that spans centuries and can be traced back to its German origins. The name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, architects, entrepreneurs, and farmers, contributing to the cultural and historical tapestry of the regions where they lived and worked.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clouser
Among Census respondents with the surname Clouser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Clouser 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 Clouser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,536
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 86
- Two or more races2.2% · 61
- Black or African American1.9% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clouser
Clouser 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
#10,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,008
+79 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 518 places
2020
#11,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,755
-253 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 386 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,123 | 2,929 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,641 | 3,008 | 1.02 | +79 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 518 places |
| 2020 | #11,027 | 2,755 | 0.92 | -253 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 386 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 Clouser 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 | #10,641 | #11,027 | -3.6% |
| Count | 3,008 | 2,755 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.92 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clouser bearers went from 3,008 to 2,755 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 386 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,641 to #11,027.
FAQ
Clouser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clouser?
Name Census estimates that about 3,159 living Americans carry the surname Clouser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,501 residents.
How common is Clouser?
Clouser ranks #11,027 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,755 people with the surname Clouser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Clouser.
Has Clouser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clouser went from 3,008 recorded bearers to 2,755. That is a decrease of 253 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,641 to #11,027.
What does the Census say about the background of Clouser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clouser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Clouser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,536 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clouser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Clouser (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 Clouser mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of nails or claws, derived from German "Klausner". 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 Clouser (0.92 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 are called Clouser?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Clouser? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.