2000
#105,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Klavins
A Latvian or Estonian place name meaning from a hollow or depression.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Klavins. 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 Klavins 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 Klavins 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 Klavins, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klavins
The surname Klavins is of Latvian origin, derived from the word "klava" which means a small wooded area or grove. The name emerged in the 13th century during the time of the Livonian Crusade when German knights and settlers arrived in the region.
The earliest known records of the name Klavins can be found in the Metrica, a compilation of documents from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth dating back to the 16th century. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by families living in or near wooded areas, likely as a descriptive surname.
In the 17th century, the name Klavins appeared in various records of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, a vassal state of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable individual from this period was Jānis Klavins (1638-1701), a landowner and local magistrate in the town of Jelgava.
During the 19th century, the Klavins surname became more widespread across the Latvian territories, which were then part of the Russian Empire. Andris Klavins (1823-1887), a prominent educator and author, played a significant role in the Latvian National Awakening movement, promoting the use of the Latvian language and preserving Latvian culture.
In the early 20th century, Kārlis Klavins (1875-1962) was a Latvian politician and diplomat who served as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia after it gained independence in 1918. He played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic relations with other nations and securing international recognition for the newly formed state.
Another notable figure was Jānis Klavins (1892-1971), a Latvian-American artist and painter who emigrated to the United States in the 1920s. His works, which often depicted Latvian landscapes and rural scenes, are held in collections around the world, including the Latvian National Museum of Art.
The name Klavins has also been associated with various place names in Latvia, such as Klavinu muiža (Klavins Manor) and Klavkalns (Klavins Hill), further reflecting its historical roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klavins
Among Census respondents with the surname Klavins, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Klavins 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 Klavins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 107
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klavins
Klavins 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
-21 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 20,860 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-21 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,730 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #105,905 | 156 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | -21 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 20,860 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 19,730 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 Klavins 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 | #126,765 | #146,495 | -15.6% |
| Count | 135 | 114 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klavins bearers went from 135 to 114 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 19,730 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #146,495.
FAQ
Klavins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klavins?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Klavins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Klavins?
Klavins 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 Klavins. 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 Klavins.
Has Klavins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klavins went from 135 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 21 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Klavins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klavins, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Klavins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klavins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Klavins (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 Klavins mean?
A Latvian or Estonian place name meaning from a hollow or depression. 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 Klavins (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 Americans have the surname Klavins?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.