2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Klebenow
A surname of German origin meaning "glue town" or "sticky village".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Klebenow. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klebenow 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Klebenow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klebenow, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klebenow
The surname Klebenow is of German origin, originating in the region of Pomerania, which is now divided between modern-day Germany and Poland. The name can be traced back to the 16th century, and it is believed to be derived from the Low German word "kleben," meaning "to stick" or "to adhere," and the word "now," which could refer to a location or a topographic feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Klebenow appears in the church records of the town of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland) in the year 1589. Here, a man named Hans Klebenow is mentioned as a landowner and farmer. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked in an area known for its sticky or adhesive soil.
In the 17th century, the name Klebenow can be found in various legal documents and property records from the Pomeranian region. For instance, in 1632, a merchant named Joachim Klebenow is listed as a resident of the town of Greifswald, which was then part of Swedish Pomerania.
During the 18th century, the name Klebenow gained some prominence in the field of education. Johann Friedrich Klebenow (1714-1789) was a German theologian and educator who served as the rector of the Gymnasium in Stargard, Pomerania. His son, Johann Christian Klebenow (1748-1815), followed in his footsteps and became a respected teacher and headmaster in the town of Prenzlau.
In the 19th century, the name Klebenow spread beyond the borders of Pomerania. One notable figure was Carl Klebenow (1825-1892), a German-American painter and illustrator who emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and became known for his illustrations in Harper's Weekly and other publications.
Another prominent individual with the surname Klebenow was Ernst Klebenow (1871-1945), a German architect and urban planner who worked on several major projects in Berlin and other German cities in the early 20th century.
While the surname Klebenow has its roots in the Pomeranian region of Germany and Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the 16th century and the Low German words that gave rise to this distinctive and enduring surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klebenow
Among Census respondents with the surname Klebenow, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Klebenow 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 Klebenow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klebenow
Klebenow 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,216 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13,216 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 5,086 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 Klebenow 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 | #147,253 | #152,339 | -3.5% |
| Count | 112 | 106 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klebenow bearers went from 112 to 106 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 5,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #152,339.
FAQ
Klebenow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klebenow?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Klebenow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Klebenow?
Klebenow ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Klebenow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Klebenow.
Has Klebenow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klebenow went from 112 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Klebenow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klebenow, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Klebenow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klebenow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Klebenow (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 Klebenow mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "glue town" or "sticky village". 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 Klebenow (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 Klebenow?
See how many Americans have the surname Klebenow on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.