Explore the Family Name Clow
The meaning of Clow
1. English (East Midlands and East Anglia): probably from Middle English cloue, a false singular form of Middle English clouse ‘bar, enclosure, narrow pass’, later ‘mill dam, sluice-gate, floodgate’. See Clowes. 2. English and Scottish (southern and central Scotland): variant of Clough 1. 3. English (Devon): from an earlier form of modern Cornish cleath ‘dyke, earthwork’, as found in the placename Clovelly (Devon) and most likely a habitational name referring to that place. 4. English: possibly sometimes from Middle English clewe, clowe ‘ball (of thread)’, or from the same word used in some topographic sense as seen in Clewlow (Cheshire). 5. Americanized form of German Klau.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Clow in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Clow" has seen a slight dip in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname went from 10,494 in 2000 to 11,448 in 2010, marking a decrease by 9.09 percent. Similarly, the count of individuals bearing the surname also experienced a decline of 2.03 percent over the decade, with the numbers falling from 2,808 in 2000 to 2,751 in 2010. The proportion of people named Clow per 100,000 individuals also dropped by 10.58 percent during this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,494 | #11,448 | -9.09% |
| Count | 2,808 | 2,751 | -2.03% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.04 | 0.93 | -10.58% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Clow
In terms of ethnicity, the distribution of the surname "Clow" also changed somewhat according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2010, 91.42 percent of individuals with this surname were of White ethnicity, down by 1.00 percent from 2000. Meanwhile, there was an increase in other ethnic identities associated with the name. The percentage of those identifying as Black grew by 11.39 percent, while those who identified as Hispanic increased by 17.84 percent. Additionally, the number of people of Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity slightly went up by 2.08 percent. There was also an increase in the percentage of individuals of two or more races bearing the surname Clow, up by 23.70 percent from 2000. However, the proportion of American Indian and Alaskan Natives with this surname declined by 8.82 percent during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.34% | 91.42% | -1% |
| Black | 2.81% | 3.13% | 11.39% |
| Hispanic | 1.85% | 2.18% | 17.84% |
| Two or More Races | 1.35% | 1.67% | 23.7% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.96% | 0.98% | 2.08% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.68% | 0.62% | -8.82% |