2000
#10,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,864
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Clyburn
Derived from a place name meaning "clay stream" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near such a stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,478 Americans carry the last name Clyburn. That puts it at #10,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,549 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clyburn 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 Clyburn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,549
Census rank
#10,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,033 bearers of the surname Clyburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clyburn, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (36.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clyburn
The surname Clyburn is of English origin, originating from the areas of Lancashire and Yorkshire in northern England. It is believed to have derived from an old English place name, with the prefix "Cly" referring to a clay or clayey soil, and the suffix "burn" meaning a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place near a small stream flowing through clay-rich soil.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with variations in spelling such as Cliburn, Clyburne, and Clibburn appearing in historical records and documents. One notable early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1273, where the name Cliburn is mentioned.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332, with the spelling Clyburne. This provides evidence that the name was well-established in the northern counties of England during the medieval period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Clyburn was John Clyburn, who was born in Lancashire around 1420. He was a landowner and farmer in the village of Clitheroe, which may have been the origin of his family's name.
Another notable figure was William Clyburn, born in Yorkshire in 1525. He was a successful merchant and trader who played a role in the growth of the wool industry in northern England during the Tudor period.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the parish records of Lancashire, with the birth of Robert Clyburn in 1638 in the town of Burnley. Robert's grandson, also named Robert Clyburn, was a prominent figure in the local community, serving as a magistrate and justice of the peace in the late 1600s.
During the 18th century, the Clyburn family spread to other parts of England, with some members migrating to the American colonies. One such individual was Thomas Clyburn, born in Lancashire in 1725, who settled in Virginia and became a prosperous tobacco farmer.
In the 19th century, the name gained recognition with the birth of James Clyburn in 1840 in Yorkshire. He was a renowned artist and painter, known for his landscapes depicting the scenic countryside of northern England.
While the name Clyburn has its roots in the northern counties of England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and the establishment of new communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the clay-rich streams and brooks of Lancashire and Yorkshire, where it first emerged as a distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clyburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Clyburn, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (36.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Clyburn 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 Clyburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.6% · 1,655
- White36.3% · 1,101
- Two or more races5.2% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clyburn
Clyburn 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
#10,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,145
+281 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Up 61 places
2020
#10,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,033
-112 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,311 | 2,864 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,250 | 3,145 | 1.07 | +281 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 61 places |
| 2020 | #10,129 | 3,033 | 1.01 | -112 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 121 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 Clyburn 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 | #10,250 | #10,129 | 1.2% |
| Count | 3,145 | 3,033 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.01 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clyburn bearers went from 3,145 to 3,033 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,250 to #10,129.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Clyburn
FAQ
Clyburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clyburn?
Name Census estimates that about 3,478 living Americans carry the surname Clyburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,549 residents.
How common is Clyburn?
Clyburn ranks #10,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,033 people with the surname Clyburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,478), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Clyburn.
Has Clyburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clyburn went from 3,145 recorded bearers to 3,033. That is a decrease of 112 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,250 to #10,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Clyburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clyburn, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (36.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Clyburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.6% (1,655 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clyburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.6%), White (36.3%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Clyburn (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 Clyburn mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "clay stream" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near such a stream. 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 Clyburn (1.01 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 have the last name Clyburn?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Clyburn, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.