2000
#108,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Klahre
Of Germanic origin, possibly referring to someone from a bright or shiny place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Klahre. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klahre 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Klahre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klahre, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klahre
The surname "KLAHRE" is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the late medieval period in central Europe. This name is believed to have originated from the German word "Klahr," which translates to "clear" or "bright," indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been distinguished by their fair complexion or light-colored hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "KLAHRE" can be found in the annals of the town of Wittenberg, in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. These records, dating back to the 15th century, mention a certain Johannes Klahre, a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.
The name "KLAHRE" also appears in several historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in the areas of Bavaria and Franconia. One notable figure from this period was Christoph Klahre (1563-1628), a renowned Lutheran theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Jena.
As the name spread across Germanic regions, it evolved into various spellings, such as "Klaher," "Klahr," and "Klare," before settling into its current form. One of the earliest recorded instances of the "KLAHRE" spelling can be traced back to the town of Marktbreit, in Lower Franconia, where a family by the name of Klahre resided in the mid-17th century.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several prominent individuals bore the surname "KLAHRE." Among them were Johann Friedrich Klahre (1733-1805), a German philosopher and author, and Friedrich August Klahre (1792-1868), a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Prussian court system.
Another notable figure was Carl Wilhelm Klahre (1828-1896), a German-American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Klahre Brewing Company in Philadelphia, one of the largest breweries in the city during the latter half of the 19th century.
While the name "KLAHRE" has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. For instance, in the late 19th century, a family by the name of Klahre settled in the Russian Empire, and their descendants can still be found in parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klahre
Among Census respondents with the surname Klahre, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Klahre 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 Klahre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 113
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klahre
Klahre 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
-12 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,062 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-25 bearers (-18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #108,734 | 151 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | -12 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 15,062 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.0%) | Down 22,699 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 Klahre 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 | #123,796 | #146,495 | -18.3% |
| Count | 139 | 114 | -18.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klahre bearers went from 139 to 114 (-18.0% change). The surname moved down 22,699 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #146,495.
FAQ
Klahre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klahre?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Klahre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Klahre?
Klahre ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Klahre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Klahre.
Has Klahre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klahre went from 139 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 25 (-18.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Klahre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klahre, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (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 Klahre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klahre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (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 Klahre (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 Klahre mean?
Of Germanic origin, possibly referring to someone from a bright or shiny place. 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 Klahre (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 Klahre?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Klahre, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.