Clodfelter last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Clodfelter

An occupational surname derived from the Middle High German words "klot" (lump) and "felt" (field), referring to a clod-breaker.

Clodfelter, 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 Clodfelter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Clodfelter in America

Clodfelter is the 12935th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Clodfelter surname appeared 2,375 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 Clodfelter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Clodfelter 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 12935 11958 7.85%
Count 2,375 2,396 -0.88%
Proportion per 100k 0.81 0.89 -9.41%

The history of the last name Clodfelter

The surname Clodfelter is of German origin, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 13th century in the Rhineland region of Germany. The name is believed to have derived from the Old High German words "klot" meaning "clod" or "lump," and "felter" meaning "field." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked on or owned a particular field or plot of land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Clodfelter can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Koblenz, situated along the Rhine River, where a family by the name of Clodfelter was mentioned in the year 1289. These records provide valuable insights into the historical presence of the name in the region.

During the Middle Ages, variations of the name, such as "Clodfeldter" and "Clotfelter," appeared in various legal documents and land records across the Rhineland. This indicates that the name was well-established in the area during that time period.

In the 16th century, the Clodfelter family is believed to have migrated from the Rhineland region to the nearby Palatinate region of Germany, where the name continued to be prominent. This migration was likely influenced by the religious turmoil and conflicts of the Protestant Reformation, which led many families to seek refuge in more tolerant areas.

One notable figure bearing the Clodfelter name was Johannes Clodfelter, born in 1621 in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, in the Palatinate region. Johannes was a respected scholar and theologian who authored several influential works on Protestant theology during his lifetime.

Another historically significant individual was Anna Clodfelter, born in 1679 in the village of Godramstein, near Landau. Anna was a midwife and herbalist renowned for her extensive knowledge of traditional medicine and her dedication to assisting women during childbirth.

In the 18th century, many Clodfelter families joined the wave of German immigration to the British colonies in North America, seeking new opportunities and religious freedom. Some of the earliest Clodfelter settlers in America can be traced back to Pennsylvania, where they established themselves as farmers and craftsmen.

One such early American Clodfelter was Jacob Clodfelter, born in 1745 in the Palatinate region of Germany. He immigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 1760s and later fought as a patriot during the American Revolutionary War, serving under General George Washington.

Another notable individual was Elizabeth Clodfelter, born in 1784 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth was a renowned quilter and textile artist, and her intricate quilts have been preserved in various museum collections, providing insight into the artistic traditions of early American settlers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Clodfelter

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

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 Clodfelter was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.71% 2,178
Non-Hispanic Black Only 6.02% 143
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.18% 28
Hispanic Origin 0.76% 18

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 Clodfelter has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.71% 92.15% -0.48%
Black 6.02% 5.43% 10.31%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.18% 1.00% 16.51%
Hispanic 0.76% 1.04% -31.11%

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

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

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"Clodfelter last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on September 21, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/clodfelter-surname-popularity/.

"Clodfelter last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/clodfelter-surname-popularity/. Accessed 21 September, 2024

Clodfelter last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/clodfelter-surname-popularity/.

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