2000
#4,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,434
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.76
Rare Last name
Cloutier
A French occupational surname referring to a nail maker or a maker of hobnails.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,181 Americans carry the last name Cloutier. That puts it at #4,801 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,896 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cloutier 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
8.2K
1 in 41,896
Census rank
#4,801
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,134 bearers of the surname Cloutier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4801st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cloutier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cloutier
The surname CLOUTIER originated in France and has its roots in the Medieval French language. It derives from the word "cloutier," which referred to a nail maker or someone involved in the trade of manufacturing nails. This occupation-based surname likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century when hereditary surnames began to be adopted in France.
The earliest known recorded instances of the CLOUTIER surname date back to the late 13th century in regions such as Normandy, Brittany, and Île-de-France. These areas were centers of metalworking and nail production during the Middle Ages, which explains the prevalence of the CLOUTIER name in these regions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the CLOUTIER surname was Jean Cloutier, a merchant and landowner who lived in Rouen, Normandy, in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Pierre Cloutier, a master nail maker from Paris who was mentioned in tax records from the early 15th century.
In the 16th century, the CLOUTIER surname began to spread to other parts of France, particularly as a result of the French colonization of North America. One of the first French settlers in Canada to bear the CLOUTIER name was Zacharie Cloutier, who arrived in Quebec in 1634. He is considered a founding ancestor of many Cloutier families in Canada and the United States.
Another prominent individual with the CLOUTIER surname was Jean-Baptiste Cloutier (1688-1759), a French-Canadian farmer and landowner who played a significant role in the settlement and development of the Chaudière River Valley in Quebec.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, several CLOUTIER families were involved in various trades and professions, including metalworking, agriculture, and commerce. Notable figures from this period include François-Xavier Cloutier (1784-1853), a merchant and political figure in Lower Canada, and Edmond Cloutier (1836-1915), a Canadian businessman and entrepreneur known for his involvement in the lumber industry.
Throughout its history, the CLOUTIER surname has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Cloutière, Cloustier, and Cloutyer, reflecting regional dialects and orthographic conventions of different eras. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the occupation of nail making, a trade that played a significant role in the economic and cultural fabric of medieval and early modern France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cloutier
Among Census respondents with the surname Cloutier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cloutier 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 Cloutier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 6,539
- Two or more races3.5% · 253
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 207
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 55
- Black or African American0.6% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cloutier
Cloutier 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
#4,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,461
+27 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Down 336 places
2020
#4,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,134
-327 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,411 | 7,434 | 2.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,747 | 7,461 | 2.53 | +27 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 336 places |
| 2020 | #4,801 | 7,134 | 2.39 | -327 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 54 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 Cloutier 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 | #4,747 | #4,801 | -1.1% |
| Count | 7,461 | 7,134 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.53 | 2.39 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cloutier bearers went from 7,461 to 7,134 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,747 to #4,801.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cloutier
FAQ
Cloutier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cloutier?
Name Census estimates that about 8,181 living Americans carry the surname Cloutier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,896 residents.
How common is Cloutier?
Cloutier ranks #4,801 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,134 people with the surname Cloutier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Cloutier.
Has Cloutier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cloutier went from 7,461 recorded bearers to 7,134. That is a decrease of 327 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,747 to #4,801.
What does the Census say about the background of Cloutier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cloutier, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Cloutier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (6,539 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cloutier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Cloutier (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 Cloutier mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a nail maker or a maker of hobnails. 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 Cloutier (2.39 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 Cloutier?
You can see how many people have the last name Cloutier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.