2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Klaahsen
A variant spelling of the Dutch surname Klaasen, meaning "son of Nicholas."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Klaahsen. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klaahsen 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Klaahsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klaahsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klaahsen
The surname Klaahsen is of Dutch origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the province of Friesland in the northern Netherlands. The name is derived from the Dutch word "klaauw," which means "claw" or "talon," and the suffix "-sen," indicating a patronymic or familial name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Klaahsen can be found in the Leeuwarder Archieven, a collection of archival records from the city of Leeuwarden in Friesland. In a document dated 1587, a certain Pieter Klaahsen is mentioned as a landowner in the nearby village of Blessum.
The name Klaahsen was also present in the renowned Doniawerstal, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 13th century, which documented legal proceedings and property disputes in the region. This suggests that the name has a long-standing history in the area.
In the 17th century, the Klaahsen surname gained prominence through the exploits of Jan Klaahsen (1620-1678), a renowned sea captain and explorer from Harlingen, Friesland. His voyages to the East Indies and his involvement in the Dutch East India Company brought recognition to the family name.
Another notable figure was Antje Klaahsen (1768-1824), a painter and engraver from Leeuwarden, whose works were exhibited in several Dutch cities during her lifetime. Her art pieces are still part of the collection at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden.
In the 19th century, Dirk Klaahsen (1815-1892) was a respected lawyer and politician from Dokkum, Friesland. He served as a member of the Provincial States of Friesland and played a significant role in shaping local legislation.
The Klaahsen name has also been associated with certain place names in Friesland, such as Klaahsenbuurt, a neighborhood in the town of Kollumerland, which may have derived its name from the presence of Klaahsen families in the area.
While the Klaahsen surname is predominantly found in the Netherlands, particularly in the northern provinces, it has also been carried by individuals who emigrated to other parts of the world, contributing to its global dispersal.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klaahsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Klaahsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Klaahsen 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 Klaahsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klaahsen
Klaahsen appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,540 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 Klaahsen 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 | #149,395 | #150,935 | -1.0% |
| Count | 110 | 108 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klaahsen bearers went from 110 to 108 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,540 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,935.
FAQ
Klaahsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klaahsen?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Klaahsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Klaahsen?
Klaahsen ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Klaahsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Klaahsen.
Has Klaahsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klaahsen went from 110 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Klaahsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klaahsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Klaahsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klaahsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Hispanic (0.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Klaahsen (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 Klaahsen mean?
A variant spelling of the Dutch surname Klaasen, meaning "son of Nicholas." 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 Klaahsen (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 are called Klaahsen?
See how common the surname Klaahsen is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.