2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Clugh
An Irish surname derived from the Irish word "cluiche" meaning game or sport.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Clugh. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clugh 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Clugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clugh
The surname Clugh has its origins in Ireland, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "cluach," meaning a skull or a bald head. This name was likely initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was bald or had a prominent skull shape.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Clugh appears in the Fiants of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which were administrative records from the Irish government during the late 16th century. In these records, a man named Donell Clugh is mentioned as residing in County Monaghan in 1591.
The Clugh surname has also been found in various Irish annals and historical manuscripts from the 17th and 18th centuries. For example, the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of Irish history compiled in the early 17th century, mentions a Donnchadh Clugh who was a notable scholar and poet from County Cavan in the late 16th century.
During the 17th century, the Clugh surname was prevalent in the northern counties of Ireland, particularly in Monaghan, Cavan, and Fermanagh. One notable individual from this era was Brian Clugh, a farmer and landowner from County Monaghan, who was born around 1650 and lived through the turbulent times of the Williamite War in Ireland.
In the 18th century, the Clugh surname continued to be found in various records and documents from Ireland. One notable example is John Clugh, a businessman and merchant from County Cavan, who was born in 1720 and was involved in the linen trade, which was a significant industry in that region at the time.
Another notable figure with the Clugh surname was James Clugh, a soldier and officer in the British Army who was born in County Monaghan in 1772. He served in various campaigns during the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before his death in 1842.
While the Clugh surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish emigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, its origins and historical ties remain firmly rooted in the northern counties of Ireland and the rich cultural heritage of the Irish people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Clugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Clugh 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 Clugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 114
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clugh
Clugh 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-9 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,547 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,982 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 15,547 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,982 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 Clugh 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 | #137,327 | #141,309 | -2.9% |
| Count | 122 | 121 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clugh bearers went from 122 to 121 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,982 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #141,309.
FAQ
Clugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clugh?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Clugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Clugh?
Clugh ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Clugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Clugh.
Has Clugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clugh went from 122 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Clugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Clugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Clugh (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 Clugh mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Irish word "cluiche" meaning game or sport. 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 Clugh (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 common is the surname Clugh?
See how many people have the surname Clugh on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.