The Clinton surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 16,263 people carried this name — #2,242 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 18,100 people counted. That is up 3% from 15,714 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Clinton surname

An English habitational surname from Old English from a river and city 15 miles NW of Oxford, England named "Glinton" or "Glympton".

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

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Glinton’.

An early record he cites: Geoffrey de Clinton, Gloucestershire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 187 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 18 births for the Clinton name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin and Louth.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 10
Ulster 5
Connacht 2
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Clinton was found among the farmers of Hertfordshire: 18 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Hertfordshire 18

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Clinton was recorded 11 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1788th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 19. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

35 families named Clinton, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 170 people lived in those households, 4.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 11
New York 7
North Carolina 6
Massachusetts 5
South Carolina 3
Pennsylvania 2
Maine 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 234 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Clinton in American newspapers,
1802–1865.

Newspaper page from Walla Walla Statesman carrying the name Clinton
Walla Walla Statesman 1865-08-25
Newspaper page from United States Oracle And Portsmouth Advertiser carrying the name Clinton
United States Oracle And Portsmouth Advertiser 1802-08-21
Newspaper page from Lincoln Telegraph carrying the name Clinton
Lincoln Telegraph 1840-10-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 14,931 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Clinton in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

20,560 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Clinton. The most, 2,909, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Australian Capital Territory, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,259
Victoria 4,859
Queensland 4,067
ACT (Canberra) 1,757
Western Australia 1,491
South Australia 1,481
Tasmania 531
Northern Territory 11

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Clinton.

Who carried it

People named Clinton,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln
    Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln 1512–1585 · diplomat
  • Elizabeth FitzGerald, Countess of Lincoln
    Elizabeth FitzGerald, Countess of Lincoln 1527–1590 · lady-in-waiting
  • Elizabeth FitzGerald, Countess of Lincoln
    Elizabeth FitzGerald, Countess of Lincoln 1527–1589 · lady-in-waiting
  • Elizabeth FitzGerald, Countess of Lincoln
    Elizabeth FitzGerald, Countess of Lincoln 1528–1590 · lady-in-waiting
  • Susanna Penyston d. 1720
  • Ernest Clinton 28– · composer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Clinton,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,301 records

2,301 records of the Clinton name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 728
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 510
  • Other U.S. records 1,063
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Moody E. Clinton

    Born 1926 in Texas. Enlisted 1945 at Dallas; farmer from Grayson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Van Alstyne Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catherine Clinton

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Anchoria from Glasgow, aged 19; servant. From Derry, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Larry Elza Van Clinton

    Born 1943; from Columbus, Ohio. U.S. Marine Corps, cook; killed in action 1966 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 2,301 records for Clinton in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia348 records

348 records of the Clinton name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 192
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 56
  • Other Australian records 100
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Clinton

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Prince Regent, sailing from Dublin in 1841. Native of Clonmel, Tipperary. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joseph Clinton

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the New World, aged 40; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Roger R. Clinton

    Fisherman of Port Fairy, Victoria; died 1975.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 348 records for Clinton in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada101 records

101 records of the Clinton name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 78
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 6
  • Other Canadian records 17
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Clinton

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Prussian, bound for Meaford, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Patrick Clinton

    Died 1938 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Geo E. Clinton

    Buried in 1944 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 101 records for Clinton in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands45 records

45 records of the Clinton name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 40
  • Dutch population registers 4
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Isabella Mary Clinton

    Married in 1929 in Nieuwer-Amstel; doctor.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Samuel Clinton

    Married in 1689 in Loenen.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Georgius Clinton

    Baptised in 1746 in Ginneken.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 45 records for Clinton in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom19 records

19 records of the Clinton name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 9
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 6
  • Other British records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record David Clinton

    Buried in 1967 at Killearn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 44.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Eleanor Margeret Clinton

    Will proved in 1935; of Llandudno, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Clinton

    King's (Liverpool Regiment). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Clinton in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand16 records

16 records of the Clinton name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 14
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Christopher Clinton

    Died 1923, aged 60; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Clinton

    Buried in 1896 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 63.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record T. Clinton

    New Zealand Cyclist Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 16 records for Clinton in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Clinton name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Antonin Francisque Louis Clinton

    Born 1906 in Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes); died 1999 in Lyon (Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Dorothee Isberthe Julienne Clinton

    Born 1912 in Lamentin; died 2000 in Les Abymes (Guadeloupe).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Clinton.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Clinton 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.

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