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Clow Family History

Clow Surname Meaning

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.

English and Scottish (southern and central Scotland): variant of Clough.

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.

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).

Americanized form of German Klau.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Clow family from?

You can see how Clow families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Clow family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Clow families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 177 Clow families living in London. This was about 23% of all the recorded Clow's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Clow families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Clow surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Clow ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Incapacitated and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Clow. 16% of Clow men worked as an Incapacitated and 76% of Clow women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Clow were Retired and Domestic Servant.

View Census Data for Clow | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Incapacitated
    16%
  • General Labourer
    11%
  • Builders Labourer
    7%
  • Retired
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    76%
  • Housewife
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%

What Clow family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 45,000 census records available for the last name Clow. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Clow census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Clow

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Clow. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Clow immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Clow. For the veterans among your Clow ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Clow military records

You've only scratched the surface of Clow family history

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What is the average Clow lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Clow life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1958, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Clow in 1943 was 42, and 82 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Clow

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Clow ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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