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

Clyde, 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 Clyde surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clyde in America

Clyde is the 8950th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clyde surname appeared 3,658 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 Clyde.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clyde 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 Clyde

The surname Clyde is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the early 13th century. It is derived from the River Clyde, which flows through the city of Glasgow and the surrounding areas of central Scotland. The name is believed to come from the Brittonic word "Clud," meaning "strong" or "bending."

In the early medieval period, the Clyde Valley was inhabited by the Brittonic-speaking Strathclyde Britons, and the river's name was recorded in various forms, such as "Cluide" and "Clud." The surname Clyde emerged as a territorial name, referring to individuals who lived near or were associated with the River Clyde or the surrounding lands.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Clyde can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of documents recording the submission of Scottish nobles and landowners to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, the name "Thomas de Cluyde" appears, indicating that the surname was already in use by the late 13th century.

Throughout the centuries, the Clyde surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Clyde (1792-1863), a prominent British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was awarded the title "Lord Clyde" in recognition of his military achievements.

Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Blake Glover (1838-1911), a Scottish merchant and diplomat who played a significant role in the industrialization of Japan during the Meiji Era. He was known as the "Scottish Samurai" and was instrumental in the development of the Mitsubishi Corporation.

In the literary world, the Scottish author and essayist Andrew Clyde (1863-1924) gained recognition for his works exploring Scottish culture and history, including "The Romantic Scottish Ballads" and "The Scottish Tradition in Literature."

The Clyde surname has also been associated with Scottish clan societies, such as the Clyde Clan Society, which traces its roots back to the ancient Kingdom of Strathclyde and promotes the preservation of Scottish heritage and traditions.

Throughout its history, the surname Clyde has been subject to various spellings, including "Cluyd," "Cluyde," and "Clude," reflecting the linguistic and orthographic variations of the time. However, the modern spelling "Clyde" has become the predominant form, firmly establishing its place in the annals of Scottish surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clyde

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

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

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

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