'clodhopper' originates from English, specifically the compound 'clod' + 'hopper', where 'clod' meant 'a lump of earth' and 'hopper' meant 'one who hops or treads'.

'clodhopper' developed in early 19th-century English as a literal compound describing someone who trod on clods or wore heavy boots; over time the term shifted from literal shoe/step references to a figurative sense of an awkward or rustic person.

Initially, it meant 'one who tramples clods' or a 'heavy work shoe', but over time it evolved into its current derogatory meaning of 'clumsy or unsophisticated person.'