Find out how popular the last name Klaas is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Klaas.

Klaas, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Klaas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Klaas in America

Klaas is the 20565th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Klaas surname appeared 1,289 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Klaas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Klaas to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Klaas

The surname Klaas originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Dutch given name Klaas, which is a variant of the name Nicolaas or Nicholas. The name Nicolaas comes from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning "victory of the people".

The earliest known record of the surname Klaas dates back to the 13th century in the Netherlands. In the year 1275, a man named Ghisbrecht Klaas was mentioned in a document from the town of Delft. This suggests that the name was already in use as a surname by that time.

In the 14th century, the surname Klaas appeared in various records throughout the Netherlands. In 1367, a man named Jan Klaas was mentioned in a document from the city of Utrecht. Around the same time, a man named Pieter Klaas was recorded in the city of Leiden.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the surname Klaas spread to other parts of Europe, particularly to areas with Dutch influence or migration. For example, in 1492, a man named Hans Klaas was recorded in the town of Emden, which is now part of Germany.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Klaas was Cornelis Klaas, a Dutch painter who lived from 1528 to 1609. He was known for his landscapes and portraits of the Dutch nobility.

In the 17th century, the surname Klaas appeared in various Dutch colonies and settlements around the world. For instance, in 1634, a man named Pieter Klaas was recorded in the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which later became part of the United States.

Another notable individual with the surname Klaas was Gerrit Klaas, a Dutch sailor and explorer who lived from 1636 to 1704. He was part of the crew of the ship Duyfken, which is believed to be the first European vessel to explore the coast of Australia in 1606.

In the 18th century, the surname Klaas continued to be found in various parts of the Netherlands and its colonies. One individual of note was Jan Klaas, a Dutch painter who lived from 1745 to 1815. He was known for his still-life paintings and landscapes.

In the 19th century, the surname Klaas began to spread more widely due to immigration and migration. For example, in 1842, a man named Pieter Klaas emigrated from the Netherlands to South Africa, where he and his descendants helped establish the Afrikaner community.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Klaas

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Klaas.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Klaas was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Klaas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Klaas was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Klaas, please contact us.

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