Klaus
A masculine German name derived from the word "Nickname" meaning "Victory of the People".
Name Census estimates that about 1,335 living Americans carry the first name Klaus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Klaus today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Klaus births was 2022 (84 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Klaus. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 256,745 Americans
Peak year
2022
84 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,405
Tracked since 1953
Popularity
Klaus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Klaus from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 343 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Klaus by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Klaus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Klaus' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Klaus, while Florida, Ohio, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 30 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Klaus
The given name Klaus has its origins in the Germanic languages and can be traced back to the Old High German name Niclaus or Nicolaus. This name is derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which means "victory of the people." The earliest known use of the name Klaus dates back to the 9th century.
In the Middle Ages, Klaus was a popular name among German-speaking populations, particularly in regions such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The name gained widespread recognition due to its association with Saint Nicholas, the 4th-century Christian saint and patron saint of children, sailors, and merchants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Klaus appears in the 10th century in the Latin chronicle "Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum" by Adam of Bremen, where a nobleman named Klaus is mentioned. In the 12th century, the name is found in the writings of the German chronicler Otto of Freising, who mentions a historical figure named Klaus.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Klaus. One of the earliest was Klaus von Bültzingslöwen (c. 1190-1237), a German nobleman and crusader who participated in the Sixth Crusade. Another prominent figure was Klaus von Stauffenberg (1907-1944), a German army officer and one of the key conspirators in the 20th July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
Other famous individuals named Klaus include Klaus Fuchs (1911-1988), a German theoretical physicist and atomic spy; Klaus Kinski (1926-1991), a German actor known for his intense performances; and Klaus Nomi (1944-1983), a German countertenor and performance artist known for his unique style and theatrical performances.
In literature, the name Klaus has been used for various fictional characters, such as Klaus Baudelaire, one of the protagonists in the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" book series by Lemony Snicket. In the world of sports, notable figures with the name include Klaus Augusburger, a German professional ice hockey player, and Klaus Wowereit, a German politician who served as the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 2001 to 2014.
People
Klaus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Klaus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Klaus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Klaus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,335 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Klaus going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 256,745 US residents.
Is Klaus a common name?
We classify Klaus as "Rare". It ranks above 91.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,408 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Klaus most popular?
The single biggest year for Klaus was 2022, when 84 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Klaus is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Klaus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Klaus in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.