2000
#18,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,379
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Clampitt
A topographic surname derived from the Old English word "clam" meaning muddy place or creek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,582 Americans carry the last name Clampitt. That puts it at #19,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 216,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clampitt 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 Clampitt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 216,659
Census rank
#19,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,380 bearers of the surname Clampitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clampitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clampitt
The surname Clampitt is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "clam," meaning "to clasp or embrace," and "pytt," meaning "pit or hollow." This suggests the name may have been associated with occupations or locations related to mining or quarrying.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a William Clampit. The Clampitt spelling itself appears in records from the late 16th century, such as the christening of John Clampitt in 1587 in Stockport, Cheshire.
The name appears to have been concentrated in the northwest counties of England, particularly Cheshire and Lancashire, during the medieval and early modern periods. Variant spellings found in historical records include Clampit, Clampitt, Clampett, and Clampett.
In the 17th century, the name is recorded in the parish registers of Stockport and Manchester, with families such as the Clampitts of Offerton and the Clampitts of Heaton Norris. Notable bearers of the name during this time include William Clampitt (1627-1702), a merchant and landowner in Stockport.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, the name had spread to other parts of England and Wales. Some notable individuals include John Clampitt (1749-1827), a printer and bookseller in London, and Thomas Clampitt (1788-1858), a Baptist minister and author from Oxfordshire.
Other historical figures with the surname include William Clampitt (1813-1891), a British naval officer who served in the Opium Wars, and George Clampitt (1837-1908), a Welsh trade unionist and politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Rhondda Valley from 1895 to 1900.
While the Clampitt name has roots in England, it has since been found in various parts of the English-speaking world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clampitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Clampitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Clampitt 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 Clampitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 1,229
- Two or more races4.3% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 13
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clampitt
Clampitt 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
#18,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,513
+134 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Up 167 places
2020
#19,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,380
-133 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 1,254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,484 | 1,379 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,317 | 1,513 | 0.51 | +134 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 167 places |
| 2020 | #19,571 | 1,380 | 0.46 | -133 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 1,254 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 Clampitt 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 | #18,317 | #19,571 | -6.8% |
| Count | 1,513 | 1,380 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.46 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clampitt bearers went from 1,513 to 1,380 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 1,254 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,317 to #19,571.
FAQ
Clampitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clampitt?
Name Census estimates that about 1,582 living Americans carry the surname Clampitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 216,659 residents.
How common is Clampitt?
Clampitt ranks #19,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 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 1,380 people with the surname Clampitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,582), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 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 Clampitt.
Has Clampitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clampitt went from 1,513 recorded bearers to 1,380. That is a decrease of 133 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,317 to #19,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Clampitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clampitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Clampitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (1,229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clampitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Clampitt (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 Clampitt mean?
A topographic surname derived from the Old English word "clam" meaning muddy place or creek. 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 Clampitt (0.46 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 Americans have the surname Clampitt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.