Explore the Family Name Clinton
The meaning of Clinton
1. Irish (Louth, Westmeath) and Scottish: shortened form of McClinton. 2. English: habitational name, either from Glympton in Oxfordshire, named as ‘settlement (Old English tūn) on the Glym river’, a Celtic river name meaning ‘bright stream’, or from Glinton in Northamptonshire, early recorded as Clinton (named with an unrecorded Old English element akin to Middle Low German glinde ‘enclosure, fence’ + Old English tūn). The surname was taken to Ireland in or before the 16th century. History: Charles Clinton (born 1690 in Longford, Ireland) organized a group of colonists and founded the settlement of Little Britain, Ulster County, NY, in 1731. His son George Clinton (1739–1812) was governor of NY (1777–95), and they had many prominent descendants. — An English aristocratic family called Clinton was founded by Geoffrey de Clinton (flourished 1130), who held lands at Glympton, Oxfordshire. He was chamberlain and treasurer to Henry I (1100–35).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Clinton in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Clinton has slightly decreased from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 2118th most common name in the U.S., but by 2010 it dropped to the 2242nd spot, indicating a 5.85% decrease in rank. Despite this fall in ranking, the actual count of individuals with the Clinton surname rose from 15,714 in 2000 to 16,263 in 2010, an increase of 3.49%. However, as a proportion per 100,000 people, the occurrence of the Clinton surname fell by 5.49% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,118 | #2,242 | -5.85% |
| Count | 15,714 | 16,263 | 3.49% |
| Proportion per 100k | 5.83 | 5.51 | -5.49% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Clinton
When examining the ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the ethnic identity associated with the Clinton surname has seen some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The largest increase was among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander with a 65.85% leap, followed by those identifying as Hispanic with a rise of 38.83%. Individuals identifying themselves as being of two or more races also rose by 23.11%. Conversely, those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native saw a decrease of 17.22% in the same period. The percentage of those identifying as White and Black also changed slightly, with a minor decrease of 3.46% among Whites and a small increase of 3.82% among Blacks.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 67.62% | 65.28% | -3.46% |
| Black | 26.15% | 27.15% | 3.82% |
| Hispanic | 2.06% | 2.86% | 38.83% |
| Two or More Races | 2.25% | 2.77% | 23.11% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.51% | 1.25% | -17.22% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.41% | 0.68% | 65.85% |
Clinton ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Clinton is British & Irish, which comprises 51.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.1%) and Eastern European (4.3%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Scandinavian, Italian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.2% |
| French & German | 20.1% |
| Eastern European | 4.3% |
| Other | 24.5% |
Possible origins of the surname Clinton
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Clinton have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 80.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 80.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 80.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 79.90% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 79.30% |
What Clinton haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Clinton is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-Z367, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Logan, Oliver, Lloyd, Gibbons, Morgan, Sherman, Hughes, Phillips, Cameron, Jones.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Clinton surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Clinton have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Clinton" Surname 44.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Clinton" Surname 19.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Clinton" Surname 20.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Clinton" Surname 18.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Clinton?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Clinton are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition