2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Closen
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosure" or "small valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Closen. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Closen 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Closen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Closen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Closen
The surname CLOSEN is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the German word "klausen," which referred to a small, secluded dwelling or hermitage. The name likely denoted someone who lived in such a remote location or was associated with a hermitage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CLOSEN surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a "Henricus Closen" in the year 1329. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the Rhineland and surrounding areas. For instance, a "Johannes Closen" is mentioned in a document from Cologne dated 1467. This indicates that the name had spread to different parts of Germany by that time.
During the 16th century, the CLOSEN surname gained prominence with the rise of the Protestant Reformation. One notable figure was Johann Closen (1525-1592), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony who played a role in the establishment of Protestantism in the region.
Another historically significant individual with the CLOSEN surname was Philipp Closen (1580-1642), a German jurist and legal scholar from Hesse. He was widely respected for his contributions to the development of German legal principles and served as a professor at the University of Marburg.
In the 18th century, the CLOSEN name appears in connection with various places, such as Closenborn and Closenbruch, which were small villages or settlements in the German states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, respectively. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the CLOSEN surname who had lived or settled in those areas.
Another notable figure from this period was Johann Closen (1715-1784), a German philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Göttingen. He was known for his works on ethics and natural theology, which influenced the philosophical discourse of his time.
As migration patterns increased during the 19th century, the CLOSEN surname spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. One example is Alois Closen (1833-1901), an Austrian-born Catholic priest who served as a missionary in the United States and worked among Native American communities in the American West.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Closen
Among Census respondents with the surname Closen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Closen 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 Closen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Closen
Closen 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,665 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,881 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,665 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 10,881 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 Closen 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 | #142,108 | #152,989 | -7.7% |
| Count | 117 | 105 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Closen bearers went from 117 to 105 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 10,881 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #152,989.
FAQ
Closen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Closen?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Closen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Closen?
Closen ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Closen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Closen.
Has Closen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Closen went from 117 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Closen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Closen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Closen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Closen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Closen (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 Closen mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosure" or "small valley." 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 Closen (0.04 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 share the surname Closen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.