2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Klam
A Dutch surname derived from the French word "clame" meaning complaint or claim.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Klam. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klam 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Klam in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klam, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.7%) and Hispanic (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klam
The surname KLAM is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest records of the name dating back to the 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "klam," which means "narrow" or "tight," possibly referring to a geographical feature or a physical characteristic of the earliest bearers of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KLAM surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Lubecensis, a collection of historical documents from the city of Lübeck, Germany, dating back to the year 1246. This document mentions a certain "Henricus Klam," suggesting that the name was already in use during that time period.
In the 15th century, the KLAM name appeared in the records of the town of Nürnberg, where a family by the name of KLAM had settled. This family is believed to have played a significant role in the local community, with some members holding positions of importance within the town's administration.
One notable figure bearing the KLAM surname was Johannes KLAM, a German scholar and humanist who lived from 1460 to 1522. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and is remembered for his contributions to the study of classical literature and philosophy.
Another individual of note was Hans KLAM, a German painter who lived from 1500 to 1567. He was known for his religious paintings and frescoes, many of which can still be found in churches and monasteries throughout Germany.
In the 17th century, the KLAM name appeared in the records of the city of Hamburg, where a merchant named Christoph KLAM (1620-1692) established a successful trading company that dealt in goods from across Europe.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Karl Friedrich KLAM (1736-1806), a German composer and organist who was celebrated for his church music and organ compositions. He served as the court organist for the Duke of Brunswick and was highly regarded for his musical talents.
As the centuries passed, the KLAM surname continued to spread across Germany and beyond, with various branches of the family establishing themselves in different regions and contributing to various fields, including academia, the arts, and commerce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klam
Among Census respondents with the surname Klam, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.7%) and Hispanic (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Klam 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 Klam surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander25.7% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klam
Klam 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+25 bearers (+24.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,465 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-17 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,342 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +25 bearers (+24.8%) | Up 15,465 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 16,342 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 Klam 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 | #133,863 | #150,205 | -12.2% |
| Count | 126 | 109 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klam bearers went from 126 to 109 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 16,342 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #150,205.
FAQ
Klam surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klam?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Klam. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Klam?
Klam ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Klam. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Klam.
Has Klam become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klam went from 126 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Klam?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klam, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.7%) and Hispanic (6.4%). 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 Klam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klam appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (25.7%), Hispanic (6.4%). 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 Klam (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 Klam mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the French word "clame" meaning complaint or claim. 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 Klam (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 common is the surname Klam?
See how many people have the last name Klam on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.