Clemens surname: meaning, census count and records | FamilyCrests

The Clemens surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,231 people carried this name — #2,542 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 20,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 13,995 in 2000.

See Clemens on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Clemens surname

From Late Latin Clēmēns (genitive Clēmentis), name of early saints and popes, from clēmēns (“merciful”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Clemens» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 409 people named Clemens.

34 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 33 départements, most often Moselle.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born

Born outside France 34
Moselle 110
Aveyron 64
Bas-Rhin 42
Paris 37
Lot-et-Garonne 17
Hérault 16
Nord 11
Rhône 10

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 389 people named Clemens 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 Limburg.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Limburg 140
Antwerp 81
Flemish Brabant 52
Liège 38
Hainaut 25
Namur 18
Brussels-Capital 17
West Flanders 13

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

59 people named Clemens live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 27
Basel-Stadt 8
Thurgau 8
Schaffhausen 5
Schwyz 5
Aargau 3
Fribourg 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

34 people named Clemens is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 34

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Clemens in American newspapers,
1901–1913.

Newspaper page from Red Lodge Picket carrying the name Clemens
Red Lodge Picket 1901-08-09
Newspaper page from The Roundup Record carrying the name Clemens
The Roundup Record 1913-11-21
Newspaper page from Judith Gap Journal carrying the name Clemens
Judith Gap Journal 1913-11-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 189,890 pages in all carry the name.

Who carried it

People named Clemens,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Charles Henry Clemens d. 1936 · photographer
  • Jacob Clemens non Papa 1510–1555 · composer
  • Adam Clemens 1550–1631 · priest
  • Samuel Clemens 1556–1600 · Lutheran pastor
  • Václav Clemens 1589–1636 · teacher
  • Johann Gottlieb Clemens 1722–1788 · preacher

Wikidata (CC0) · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Clemens.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Clemens 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.

See what a volume holds
Scroll to Top