2000
#9,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,067
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Clutter
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of clothes, or a hoarder of useless objects.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,414 Americans carry the last name Clutter. That puts it at #10,292 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Clutter 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
3.4K
1 in 100,397
Census rank
#10,292
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,977 bearers of the surname Clutter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10292nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Clutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Clutter
The surname Clutter has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "clottir," which meant "clot" or "clump." This term was likely used to describe someone who lived near a clump of trees or bushes, a common practice in naming individuals after their geographical location or surroundings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Clutter can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "William de la Clutere." This early spelling suggests a connection to a specific place, possibly a clump of trees or a thicket. The name also appears in the Assize Court Rolls of Staffordshire in 1303, where it is spelled "Clotere."
During the 14th century, the surname Clutter began to appear in various forms in various parts of England. In the Subsidy Rolls of Derbyshire from 1327, a person named "John de Cluttur" is listed. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1334 mention a "Johannes Clottere," while in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332, the name is spelled "Clottere."
As time passed, the name Clutter continued to evolve and spread across different regions. In the Hearth Tax Returns of 1674, a "Thomas Clutter" is recorded in Middlesex. The parish records of Yelden, Bedfordshire, contain an entry for the marriage of "William Clutter" in 1684.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Clutter include:
1. Thomas Clutter (c. 1530 - 1609), an English clergyman and academic who served as President of Magdalen College, Oxford.
2. John Clutter (1728 - 1808), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later became a prosperous plantation owner in Virginia.
3. Sarah Clutter (1799 - 1873), an English author and poet who published several works in the early 19th century.
4. James Clutter (1835 - 1901), an American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Clutter Manufacturing Company in Pennsylvania, which produced agricultural machinery.
5. Herbert Clutter (1905 - 1959), a wealthy American farmer and the patriarch of the Clutter family, whose murder in Kansas in 1959 was the subject of Truman Capote's famous non-fiction novel "In Cold Blood."
While the surname Clutter may have originated from a humble description of one's surroundings, it has left a lasting mark in various fields, from academia and literature to business and even true crime narratives.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clutter
Among Census respondents with the surname Clutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Clutter 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 Clutter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 2,772
- Two or more races3.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 25
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Clutter
Clutter 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
#10,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,116
+49 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 614 places
2020
#10,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,977
-139 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,723 | 3,067 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,337 | 3,116 | 1.06 | +49 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 614 places |
| 2020 | #10,292 | 2,977 | 1.00 | -139 bearers (-4.5%) | Up 45 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 Clutter 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 | #10,337 | #10,292 | 0.4% |
| Count | 3,116 | 2,977 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.00 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Clutter bearers went from 3,116 to 2,977 (-4.5% change). The surname moved up 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,337 to #10,292.
FAQ
Clutter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Clutter?
Name Census estimates that about 3,414 living Americans carry the surname Clutter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,397 residents.
How common is Clutter?
Clutter ranks #10,292 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,977 people with the surname Clutter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Clutter.
Has Clutter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Clutter went from 3,116 recorded bearers to 2,977. That is a decrease of 139 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,337 to #10,292.
What does the Census say about the background of Clutter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Clutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Clutter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,772 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Clutter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Clutter (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 Clutter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of clothes, or a hoarder of useless objects. 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 Clutter (1.00 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 are called Clutter?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Clutter, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.