NameCensus.

UK surname

Clune

A surname derived from the Irish Gaelic word "cluain" meaning a green pasture or meadow.

In the 1881 census there were 53 people recorded with the Clune surname, ranking it #26,134 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 199, ranked #19,653, up from #26,134 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gloucester, Birmingham and Southampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Clune is 199 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 275.5%.

1881 census count

53

Ranked #26,134

Modern count

199

2016, ranked #19,653

Peak year

2016

199 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Clune had 53 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #26,134 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 199 in 2016, ranked #19,653.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 62 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Clune surname distribution map

The map shows where the Clune surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Clune surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Clune over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 42 #25,706
1861 historical 50 #27,636
1881 historical 53 #26,134
1891 historical 62 #28,991
1901 historical 54 #28,178
1911 historical 50 #27,806
1997 modern 176 #19,091
1998 modern 171 #19,956
1999 modern 167 #20,374
2000 modern 171 #20,044
2001 modern 167 #20,060
2002 modern 185 #19,212
2003 modern 182 #19,215
2004 modern 186 #19,059
2005 modern 188 #18,866
2006 modern 184 #19,254
2007 modern 181 #19,680
2008 modern 183 #19,735
2009 modern 187 #19,868
2010 modern 192 #19,960
2011 modern 191 #19,871
2012 modern 176 #20,915
2013 modern 183 #20,722
2014 modern 188 #20,503
2015 modern 186 #20,576
2016 modern 199 #19,653

Geography

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Where Clunes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gloucester, Birmingham and Southampton. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gloucester 007 Gloucester
2 Gloucester 011 Gloucester
3 Birmingham 021 Birmingham
4 Gloucester 008 Gloucester
5 Southampton 005 Southampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Clune

These lists show first names that appear often with the Clune surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Clune

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Clune, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Clune surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Clune household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Clune is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Clune is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Clune falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Clune is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Clune, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Clune

The surname Clune has its origins in Ireland, specifically in the counties of Kerry and Cork, where it is thought to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "cluain," which means "meadow" or "pasture land," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked on such lands.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Census of Ireland from 1659, where it appears as "Clune" and "Cloyne." This suggests that the spelling had already begun to evolve from its Gaelic roots by that time. In the same census, the name is also recorded as "Cloon" and "Cloone," reflecting the variations that often occurred in the anglicization of Irish names.

The Clune surname is associated with several historical figures, including John Clune (1771-1835), an Irish poet and songwriter from County Cork, and Michael Clune (1808-1882), a prominent Irish nationalist and journalist who was involved in the Young Ireland movement.

Another notable bearer of the name was Patrick Clune (1853-1935), an Irish-American journalist and labor activist who played a significant role in the American labor movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He co-founded the United Mine Workers of America and served as its first president from 1890 to 1893.

In the 19th century, the name also appears in connection with various place names in Ireland, such as Clune Beg and Clune More, which are townlands in County Kerry. These place names likely derived from the same Gaelic root as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the landscape.

Other historical figures with the surname Clune include:

1. Edward Clune (1923-2014), an American author and screenwriter known for his work on films like "A Walk on the Wild Side" and "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"

2. Michael Clune (born 1979), an American writer and academic who has published several books on literary criticism and cultural studies.

3. Mary Clune (1885-1968), an Irish politician and activist who served as a member of the Irish Provisional Parliament and the first Dáil Éireann.

4. John Clune (1884-1960), an Irish-American Catholic priest and educator who served as the president of Marquette University from 1944 to 1948.

5. James Clune (1910-1991), an Australian politician and member of the House of Representatives for the Labor Party from 1949 to 1963.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Clune families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Clune surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 22 Clunes recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.59x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 22 3.59x
Gloucestershire 8 7.89x
Yorkshire 7 1.37x
Lanarkshire 4 2.39x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 40.11x
Middlesex 3 0.58x
Cumberland 2 4.50x
Essex 1 0.98x
Midlothian 1 1.44x
Selkirkshire 1 21.37x
Warwickshire 1 0.77x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bristol St James St Paul in Gloucestershire leads with 8 Clunes recorded in 1881 and an index of 236.69x.

Place Total Index
Bristol St James St Paul 8 236.69x
Oldham 5 25.27x
Toxteth Park 5 24.07x
Wigan 5 58.34x
Batley 4 82.14x
Hamilton 4 85.84x
Manchester 4 14.50x
Gate Fulford 3 250.00x
Kirkcudbright 2 322.58x
Birmingham 1 2.30x
Bootle Cum Linacre 1 20.53x
Caldewgate 1 40.98x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 1 3.59x
Little Bolton 1 12.69x
Rerrick 1 312.50x
Selkirk 1 75.76x
Spotland 1 14.66x
St Bees 1 476.19x
St Marylebone London 1 3.62x
Walthamstow 1 27.25x
West Drayton 1 555.56x
Westminster St Margaret 1 40.16x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Clune surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Clune surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Clune households.

FAQ

Clune surname: questions and answers

How common was the Clune surname in 1881?

In 1881, 53 people were recorded with the Clune surname. That placed it at #26,134 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Clune surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 199 in 2016. That gives Clune a modern rank of #19,653.

What does the Clune surname mean?

A surname derived from the Irish Gaelic word "cluain" meaning a green pasture or meadow.

What does the Clune map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Clune bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.