Explore the Family Name Clapham

The meaning of Clapham

English: habitational name from any of various places called Clapham, for example in Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Yorkshire, and Devon. The first three are named with Old English clopp(a) ‘lump, hillock’ + hām ‘homestead’ or hamm ‘enclosure hemmed in by water’, while the Yorkshire placename is formed with an Old English word clæpe ‘noisy stream’. The Devon placename is early recorded as Clopton, formed with clopp(a) ‘lump, hillock’ + tūn ‘farmstead’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Clapham in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Clapham ranked 29,016 in popularity in 2000 and dropped slightly to 30,013 in 2010, indicating a decline of 3.44%. The count of individuals with this surname increased modestly from 770 in 2000 to 782 in 2010, marking a 1.56% rise. However, the proportion per 100k people decreased by 6.9%, from 0.29 to 0.27 over the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#29,016#30,013-3.44%
Count7707821.56%
Proportion per 100k0.290.27-6.9%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Clapham

As per ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows a slight shift in the ethnic identity of individuals with the Clapham surname between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 95.32% identified as White, decreasing to 94.25% in 2010. The Hispanic population saw a significant increase from 1.30% to 2.17%. There was also a minor increase in those identifying as Two or More Races, rising from 1.17% to 1.53%. Interestingly, there was an emergence of Asian/Pacific Islander and Black identifiers, at 1.41% and 0.64% respectively in 2010, which were not recorded in 2000. Conversely, those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native fell from 1.30% in 2000 to being entirely absent in 2010.

20002010Change
White95.32%94.25%-1.12%
Hispanic1.3%2.17%66.92%
Two or More Races1.17%1.53%30.77%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%1.41%0%
Black0%0.64%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.3%0%-100%