Explore the Family Name Cleaveland

The meaning of Cleaveland

1. English (Kent and Middlesex): variant of Cleveland. 2. Americanized form of Norwegian Kleiveland or its variant Kleveland. History: A family spelling its name in this way is particularly associated with Martha’s Vineyard. Moses Cleaveland (1651–1717) came to Edgartown c.1680 from Woburn, MA; several of his descendants were captains of whaling ships.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Cleaveland has seen a slight shift in popularity over the years. In 2000, Cleaveland was ranked 24,146th in terms of frequency but saw a minor drop to rank at 24,517 in 2010, showing a decrease of 1.54%. However, the overall count of people bearing this surname increased from 974 individuals in 2000 to 1,020 in 2010, indicating a growth rate of 4.72%. The proportion of the population with this surname per 100,000 people also experienced a slight downturn from 0.36 in 2000 to 0.35 in 2010, a change of -2.78%.

20002010Change
Rank#24,146#24,517-1.54%
Count9741,0204.72%
Proportion per 100k0.360.35-2.78%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cleaveland

Discussing the ethnic identity associated with the surname Cleaveland, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that most individuals identify as white, although there have been changes in this distribution between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 92.92% identified as white, while by 2010, this had decreased slightly to 91.37%. While no individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2000, by 2010 these categories accounted for 0.88% and 0.49% respectively. Those identifying as two or more races saw an increase from 1.54% to 2.16%, and individuals identifying as Hispanic grew from 1.85% to 2.35%. There was a marginal growth in the black community from 2.67% to 2.75% over the ten-year period.

20002010Change
White92.92%91.37%-1.67%
Black2.67%2.75%3%
Hispanic1.85%2.35%27.03%
Two or More Races1.54%2.16%40.26%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.88%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.49%0%