2000
#8,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,432
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Clyde
From a placename derived from the River Clyde in Scotland, which possibly means "cleansing" or "washing" in Celtic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,226 Americans carry the last name Clyde. That puts it at #8,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,106 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clyde 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 Clyde with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,106
Census rank
#8,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,685 bearers of the surname Clyde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clyde, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clyde
Among Census respondents with the surname Clyde, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Clyde 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 Clyde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.9% · 2,686
- Black or African American15.0% · 551
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 153
- Two or more races3.6% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.2% · 118
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clyde
Clyde 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
#8,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,658
+226 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 156 places
2020
#8,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,685
+27 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 378 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,794 | 3,432 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,950 | 3,658 | 1.24 | +226 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 156 places |
| 2020 | #8,572 | 3,685 | 1.23 | +27 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 378 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 Clyde 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 | #8,950 | #8,572 | 4.2% |
| Count | 3,658 | 3,685 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.23 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clyde bearers went from 3,658 to 3,685 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 378 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,950 to #8,572.
FAQ
Clyde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clyde?
Name Census estimates that about 4,226 living Americans carry the surname Clyde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,106 residents.
How common is Clyde?
Clyde ranks #8,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,685 people with the surname Clyde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,226), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Clyde.
Has Clyde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clyde went from 3,658 recorded bearers to 3,685. That is an increase of 27 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,950 to #8,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Clyde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clyde, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Clyde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.9% (2,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clyde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.9%), Black (15.0%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Clyde (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 Clyde mean?
From a placename derived from the River Clyde in Scotland, which possibly means "cleansing" or "washing" in Celtic. 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 Clyde (1.23 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 Clyde?
If you just want to know how many people are called Clyde, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.