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

Klar, 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 Klar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Klar in America

Klar is the 17258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Klar surname appeared 1,641 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Klar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Klar 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 Klar

The surname KLAR originates from Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "klar," meaning "clear" or "bright." The name likely referred to someone with a fair complexion or bright personality.

In its earliest recorded form, the name appeared as "Klare" in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dated around 1180. Variations of the spelling included "Klahr" and "Klaer" in records from the 13th and 14th centuries.

One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Hans Klar, a merchant from Nuremberg, born in 1425. Another notable figure was Johann Klar, a Lutheran theologian and educator from Wittenberg, who lived from 1537 to 1609.

During the 16th century, the name was also found in various town records across Germany, such as the Kirchenbücher (church books) of Cologne and Mainz, where families bearing the name KLAR were listed as residents.

In the 17th century, the name appeared in the records of the University of Heidelberg, with students such as Gottfried Klar, who matriculated in 1632, and Johannes Klar, who enrolled in 1678.

One of the most well-known individuals with this surname was Johann Michael Klar, a German composer and organist born in 1705. His works included numerous cantatas and instrumental pieces, contributing to the development of Baroque music.

Another notable figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Klar, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1781 to 1858. He is known for his works on ethics and metaphysics, including the book "System der Philosophie" (System of Philosophy), published in 1824.

The surname KLAR also spread to other European countries, such as Austria and Switzerland, where variations like "Klaar" and "Klarr" were documented in various records from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Klar

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

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 Klar 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 Klar 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 Klar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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