2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Klatsky
An occupational surname for a noisy person or gossiper from Yiddish "klatsh" meaning gossip.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Klatsky. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klatsky 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Klatsky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klatsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klatsky
The surname Klatsky has its origins in the Slavic region of Eastern Europe, specifically in areas that are now part of Poland and Ukraine. The name likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Slavic word "klatka," which means "cage" or "crib," suggesting a possible occupational connection to someone who made or worked with cages or cribs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Klatsky can be found in the Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the town of Krakow, Poland, dating back to the 15th century. In these records, a person named Jan Klatsky is mentioned in relation to a legal dispute over property ownership in the year 1487.
The Klatsky surname also appears in various Polish censuses and tax records from the 16th and 17th centuries, indicating its presence in various towns and villages across the region. Some of these records include variations in the spelling, such as Klacki, Klatcki, and Klatzky.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Klatsky emerged in the form of Jakub Klatsky (1752-1832), a Polish painter and artist who gained recognition for his religious and historical paintings commissioned by churches and aristocratic patrons.
Another noteworthy individual was Maksymilian Klatsky (1810-1878), a Polish-born writer and journalist who emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century. He wrote extensively about Polish culture and politics in publications such as the New York Tribune and the Polish-American newspaper, Kuryer Stanów Zjednoczonych.
In the 20th century, the name Klatsky gained further recognition with the American film director, producer, and screenwriter, Herbert Klatsky (1907-1985). He is best known for his work on various Hollywood films in the 1940s and 1950s, including the noir classic "Kiss Me Deadly."
Another individual of note was Yuri Klatsky (1918-1992), a Russian-born American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics and worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II.
While the surname Klatsky is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history rooted in Eastern Europe and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, writers, filmmakers, and scientists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klatsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Klatsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Klatsky 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 Klatsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klatsky
Klatsky 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
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+15 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,858 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 12,858 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 Klatsky 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 | #154,907 | #142,049 | 8.3% |
| Count | 105 | 120 | 14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klatsky bearers went from 105 to 120 (+14.3% change). The surname moved up 12,858 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #142,049.
FAQ
Klatsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klatsky?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Klatsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Klatsky?
Klatsky ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Klatsky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Klatsky.
Has Klatsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klatsky went from 105 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 15 (+14.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Klatsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klatsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Klatsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klatsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (5.0%), Black (0.8%). 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 Klatsky (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 Klatsky mean?
An occupational surname for a noisy person or gossiper from Yiddish "klatsh" meaning gossip. 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 Klatsky (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 have the last name Klatsky?
You can see how common the surname Klatsky is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.