Surname Clawson - Meaning and Origin

How My iGENEA DNA Test Breathed Life into My Surname, Clawson, And Shaped My Perspective of Personal Identity

Prior to my DNA test, my surname, Clawson, was merely a label; a distinguishing social marker passed down from my ancestors. The test stirred an interest in me to learn more about it, leading me to the iGENEA DNA test.

M. Clawson

Clawson: What does the surname Clawson mean?

The surname Clawson is of English origin and traces back to medieval times. It is derived from a location name, specifically the village of Clawson, also known as Hose, in the county of Leicestershire, England. The name itself translates to "farmstead on the River Claw" or the "hill dweller's settlement", with "claw" referring to a claw-shaped bend in a river or a hill, and "son" meaning 'dweller'. Therefore, the surname Clawson could be interpreted as "son of the dweller by the claw-shaped river or hill". Over time, the name has also been spelled as Clauson and Clason. Like many surnames of this era, variations in the spelling of Clawson can be attributed to a lack of consistency in recording and the phonetic spelling used by scribes. Today, individuals with the surname Clawson can be found mostly in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Clawson: Where does the name Clawson come from?

The last name Clawson is most commonly found in the United States. Although there are a few Clarence Clawsons in England.

The earliest known Clawson in the United States was John Clawson, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1717 and eventually settled on a farm in Frederick County, Maryland. He was one of the earliest settlers in the area and his descendants still live in Frederick County to this day.

Another early settler was Joab Clawson, who settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in the late 1700s. His descendants are now spread across the country, from the Midwest to the East Coast.

Today, Clawson is an extremely common last name in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 17,279 people with the last name Clawson in the United States in 2020. This makes it the 1,190th most popular surname in the United States. The states with the most Clawsons were, in order, Utah, Ohio, Arizona, Michigan, and Texas.

What's interesting is that most Clawsons are concentrated in a few states. For instance, Utah has the highest concentration of Clawsons, with 2.1 per every 1,000 people. This is followed by Arizona (1.2), Michigan (1.0), Ohio (0.9) and Texas (0.8). On the other hand, there are only 0.2 Clawsons per every 1,000 people in the United States as a whole.

So, while Clawson is a fairly common last name in the United States, it is most commonly found in a few states. In 2020, Utah, Ohio, Arizona, Michigan, and Texas were the states with the highest concentration of Clawsons in the United States.

Variations of the surname Clawson

Variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for Clawson include Clason, Claeson, Clausson, Claissen, Clawsian, Clauson, Clahsen, and Clawesyn.

Clawson comes from Old English and is derived from “CLAES found in pre 7th century old documents from lancashire”.

Some variant spellings of Clawson are Claccson, Claison, Claisson, Clayson, Clausson, Callson, and Claxon.

Surnames of the same origin for Clawson include Clayson, Clesson, Claxton, Claiken, Clawley, Claesen, Claesson, Clawer, Clefton, Clawton and Claes.

The spelling Clawson was generally found in the East Midlands and parts of Yorkshire. The variant spelling of Claesson, was generally found in the north east of England. The spelling of Clefton was generally found in the West Midlands, and Clawer was generally found in the south west of England.

However, many of these spellings and surnames of the same origin for Clawson have become obsolete over time and have been replaced by the more modern variant, Clawson.

Famous people with the name Clawson

• Ryan Clawson, Actor
• Ken Clawson, Political Advisor and Journalist in the 1970s
• Mary Elizabeth Clawson, Zoologist
• Stephen Clawson, American Novelist
• Eric Clawson, Profession Actor
• Roger Clawson, Professional Golfer
• Bruce Clawson, American Football Player
• Arnold Clawson, Musician
• Carole Clawson, Artist and Teacher
• Christine Clawson, Linguist
• Richard Clawson, American Politician
• Ray Clawson, Professional Basketball Player
• Josette Clawson, Left-Handed Baseball Pitcher
• Leroy Clawson, Naturalist and Conservationist
• Daniel Clawson, History Professor at the University of Massachusetts
• Travis Clawson, Professional Football Player
• Joey Clawson, Pianist and Composer
• Christopher Clawson, Military Veteran and Businessman
• Pauline Clawson, Educator and Writer
• Julius Clawson, American Revolutionary War Soldier

Other surnames

Clawsing