Clawson
A surname likely tied to the place name Claxton, especially an old English habitational form meaning “settlement on the clay land.”
The #3,360 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,042 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Clawson is most likely a variant or reduced spelling related to Claxton, an English place-name surname. The place name is generally explained from Old English elements meaning “clay” plus “farmstead or settlement,” so the underlying sense is “clay settlement.” In surname form, it would have been used for someone who came from such a place, with spelling shifting over time.
History
Historical surname writers treated Clawson alongside Claxton and related place-name surnames, suggesting a close connection in spelling and pronunciation. The name appears in English records and later spread to North America with British migration. Modern bearers are especially found in the United States, where the name is now established but still relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname writers sometimes grouped Clawson with other “clay” names like Clay and Claypole because of its likely place-name roots.
From the historical record
“C laughton. A loc. n., Lancs Clavering. A loc. n., Ess. Clawson. See Closson Claxton. A loc. n., Dur., Leics, Norf. Claybrough. From Claybrooke (?);”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)