2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Clymo
A Scottish surname derived from the Olde English word "clim" meaning a hillock or small hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Clymo. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clymo 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 Clymo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Clymo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clymo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clymo
The surname Clymo is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is thought to have derived from an Old English word "clam" or "clem," which meant "to bind or clasp." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation or trade related to binding or fastening objects, such as a rope maker or a blacksmith.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Clymo can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a certain John Clymo is listed as a resident of the village of Wressle. This historical document provides valuable insight into the presence of the name in the region during the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, the Clymo name appears in various parish records and manorial documents from Yorkshire and Lancashire. For instance, a William Clymo was recorded as a landowner in the manor of Giggleswick, Yorkshire, in 1532. Additionally, the baptismal records of St. Michael's Church in Burgh-by-Sands, Cumbria, mention a Thomas Clymo in 1578.
The Clymo surname has also been associated with certain place names in England. For example, the village of Climow in Bedfordshire may have some connection to the name's origins, although the exact link remains uncertain.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Clymo surname throughout history are:
1. John Clymo (c. 1420 - 1498), a wealthy merchant and landowner from York, who served as an alderman and mayor of the city in the late 15th century.
2. Elizabeth Clymo (c. 1560 - 1632), a skilled embroiderer from Lancashire, known for her intricate needlework on ecclesiastical vestments and tapestries.
3. Robert Clymo (1675 - 1744), a prominent clockmaker and member of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in London, renowned for his intricate and precise timepieces.
4. Sarah Clymo (1822 - 1897), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's education in Yorkshire, who founded the Clymo Academy for Young Ladies in Harrogate.
5. William Clymo (1842 - 1916), a renowned architect from Leeds, responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Yorkshire, including the Grand Theatre in Leeds and the Halifax Town Hall.
While the origins of the Clymo surname can be traced back to medieval England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand, due to migration and diaspora over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clymo
Among Census respondents with the surname Clymo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Clymo 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 Clymo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 100
- Two or more races5.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clymo
Clymo appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,953 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 6,953 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 Clymo 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 | #154,907 | #147,954 | 4.5% |
| Count | 105 | 112 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clymo bearers went from 105 to 112 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 6,953 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #147,954.
FAQ
Clymo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clymo?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Clymo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Clymo?
Clymo ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Clymo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Clymo.
Has Clymo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clymo went from 105 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 7 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Clymo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clymo, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Clymo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clymo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (5.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Clymo (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 Clymo mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Olde English word "clim" meaning a hillock or small hill. 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 Clymo (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 many people share the surname Clymo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.