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

Clutter, 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 Clutter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clutter in America

Clutter is the 10337th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clutter surname appeared 3,116 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 Clutter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clutter 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 Clutter

The surname Clutter has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "clottir," which meant "clot" or "clump." This term was likely used to describe someone who lived near a clump of trees or bushes, a common practice in naming individuals after their geographical location or surroundings.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Clutter can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "William de la Clutere." This early spelling suggests a connection to a specific place, possibly a clump of trees or a thicket. The name also appears in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1303, where it is spelled "Clotere."

During the 14th century, the surname Clutter began to appear in various forms in various parts of England. In the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire from 1327, a person named "John de Cluttur" is listed. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1334 mention a "Johannes Clottere," while in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332, the name is spelled "Clottere."

As time passed, the name Clutter continued to evolve and spread across different regions. In the Hearth Tax Returns of 1674, a "Thomas Clutter" is recorded in Middlesex. The parish records of Yelden, Bedfordshire, contain an entry for the marriage of "William Clutter" in 1684.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Clutter include:

1. Thomas Clutter (c. 1530 - 1609), an English clergyman and academic who served as President of Magdalen College, Oxford.
2. John Clutter (1728 - 1808), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prosperous plantation owner in Virginia.
3. Sarah Clutter (1799 - 1873), an English author and poet who published several works in the early 19th century.
4. James Clutter (1835 - 1901), an American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Clutter Manufacturing Company in Pennsylvania, which produced agricultural machinery.
5. Herbert Clutter (1905 - 1959), a wealthy American farmer and the patriarch of the Clutter family, whose murder in Kansas in 1959 was the subject of Truman Capote's famous non-fiction novel "In Cold Blood."

While the surname Clutter may have originated from a humble description of one's surroundings, it has left a lasting mark in various fields, from academia and literature to business and even true crime narratives.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clutter

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

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

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

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