The Claes surname
In the 2000 U.S. Census, 263 people carried this name — #69,636 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,000,000 people counted.
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In Belgium’s population register
At least 15,009 people named Claes live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Antwerp.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 269 people named Claes.
49 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 26 départements, most often Nord.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
25 people named Claes live in Switzerland.
They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In print
Claes in American newspapers,
1879–1939.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 65,752 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Claes,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Constant Claes 1826–1905 · painter -
Mauritz S:son Claes 1883–1967 · architect -
Ernest Claes 1885–1968 · writer -
Truus Claes 1890–1954 · painter -
Franciscus Joannes Claes 1895–1941
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 127 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Claes.
- Citron 1,243 · U.S. census
- Citti 140 · U.S. census
- Ciucci 284 · U.S. census
- Civil 594 · U.S. census
- Clady 284 · U.S. census
- Claerhout 159 · U.S. census
- Claessens 143 · U.S. census
- Claeys 1,344 · U.S. census
- Clain 178 · U.S. census
- Clair 4,520 · U.S. census
- Claire 1,099 · U.S. census
- Clar 365 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Claes is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.