2000
#19,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,273
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Claborn
An anglicized form of the French surname Clermont or Clerborne, meaning a clerk or scholar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,508 Americans carry the last name Claborn. That puts it at #20,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 227,291 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Claborn 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.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 227,291
Census rank
#20,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,315 bearers of the surname Claborn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Claborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Claborn
The surname Claborn is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "claeg" meaning clay or clay soil, and "burna" meaning a stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a clay-lined stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Claborn can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Clagebyrne." This entry indicates that the name was already in use during the 11th century, suggesting its origins may date back even further.
In the 13th century, records show variations of the name such as "Claggebyrne" and "Claghburn," which further solidify the link to the Old English roots. During this time, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Staffordshire and Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England.
One notable individual bearing the Claborn surname was Sir William Claborn, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Staffordshire during the 14th century. He was mentioned in several historical documents and records from the period, further establishing the name's presence in the region.
In the 16th century, the spelling of the name began to evolve into its more modern form, with variations such as "Clabborn" and "Claborne" appearing in parish records and legal documents. This was likely due to the influence of the Great Vowel Shift, a major sound change that occurred in the English language during this period.
Another notable figure with the Claborn surname was John Claborn, a successful merchant and ship owner who lived in Bristol during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was involved in the lucrative trade with the West Indies and played a significant role in the city's maritime commerce.
As the Claborn family spread throughout England, different branches adopted slightly different spellings of the name, leading to variations such as Clabburn, Clabaugh, and Clayborn. However, the core meaning and origins of the name remained rooted in the Old English words for clay and stream.
In the 18th century, members of the Claborn family began to migrate to the American colonies, bringing the name with them. One such individual was Thomas Claborn, who settled in Virginia in the early 1700s and established a successful plantation.
Overall, the surname Claborn has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, with its roots firmly grounded in the Old English language and its connection to the physical geography of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Claborn
Among Census respondents with the surname Claborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Claborn 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 Claborn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 1,138
- Two or more races4.5% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 51
- Black or African American3.7% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Claborn
Claborn 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
#19,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,392
+119 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Up 183 places
2020
#20,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,315
-77 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Down 997 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,599 | 1,273 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,416 | 1,392 | 0.47 | +119 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 183 places |
| 2020 | #20,413 | 1,315 | 0.44 | -77 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 997 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 Claborn 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 | #19,416 | #20,413 | -5.1% |
| Count | 1,392 | 1,315 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.44 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Claborn bearers went from 1,392 to 1,315 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 997 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,416 to #20,413.
FAQ
Claborn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Claborn?
Name Census estimates that about 1,508 living Americans carry the surname Claborn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 227,291 residents.
How common is Claborn?
Claborn ranks #20,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.44 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 1,315 people with the surname Claborn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,508), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.44 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 Claborn.
Has Claborn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Claborn went from 1,392 recorded bearers to 1,315. That is a decrease of 77 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,416 to #20,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Claborn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Claborn, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Claborn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (1,138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Claborn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Claborn (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 Claborn mean?
An anglicized form of the French surname Clermont or Clerborne, meaning a clerk or scholar. 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 Claborn (0.44 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 Claborn?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Claborn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.