2000
#14,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,851
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Classen
A surname referring to someone who lived near a manor or monastery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,187 Americans carry the last name Classen. That puts it at #14,903 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,724 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Classen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 156,724
Census rank
#14,903
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,907 bearers of the surname Classen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14903rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Classen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Classen
The surname Classen is of German origin, derived from the German word "Klasse" which means "class" or "rank." The name likely originated during the Middle Ages in Germany, possibly referring to a person's social standing or occupation.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. Some of the earliest spellings include Classen, Clasen, and Klassen.
In the 16th century, the name appears in historical records from the city of Hamburg, suggesting its presence in northern Germany. One notable figure was Johann Classen, a merchant and alderman who lived in Hamburg during the late 16th century.
As the name spread across Germany, it also found its way into other areas of Europe, including the Netherlands and Scandinavia. In the Netherlands, the name was sometimes spelled as "Classen" or "Klasen."
During the 19th century, many Germans bearing the surname Classen immigrated to the United States, bringing the name to North America. One notable American with this surname was Benjamin Franklin Classen, a prominent businessman and philanthropist born in 1887 in Oklahoma City.
Other notable individuals with the surname Classen include Johann Classen, a German painter and engraver from the 17th century, and Otto Classen, a German-American architect and builder who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the surname Classen may have originally referred to social status, over time it became a common surname throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, as well as in the United States, where it was carried by immigrants from various regions of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Classen
Among Census respondents with the surname Classen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Classen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Classen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 1,582
- Hispanic or Latino12.2% · 233
- Two or more races3.0% · 58
- Black or African American0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Classen
Classen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,900
+49 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 703 places
2020
#14,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,907
+7 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 515 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,715 | 1,851 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,418 | 1,900 | 0.64 | +49 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 703 places |
| 2020 | #14,903 | 1,907 | 0.64 | +7 bearers (+0.4%) | Up 515 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Classen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,418 | #14,903 | 3.3% |
| Count | 1,900 | 1,907 | 0.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.64 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Classen bearers went from 1,900 to 1,907 (+0.4% change). The surname moved up 515 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,418 to #14,903.
FAQ
Classen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Classen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,187 living Americans carry the surname Classen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,724 residents.
How common is Classen?
Classen ranks #14,903 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,907 people with the surname Classen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,187), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Classen.
Has Classen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Classen went from 1,900 recorded bearers to 1,907. That is an increase of 7 (+0.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,418 to #14,903.
What does the Census say about the background of Classen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Classen, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Classen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (1,582 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Classen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Hispanic (12.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Classen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Classen mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near a manor or monastery. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Classen (0.64 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Classen?
See how many people have the last name Classen on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.