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

Klee, 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 Klee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Klee in America

Klee is the 12667th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Klee surname appeared 2,440 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 Klee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Klee 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 Klee

The surname KLEE originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Klee," which means "clover," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a clover field or worked with clover in some capacity.

The name KLEE is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, in southern Germany. It was often spelled in various ways, such as "Klee," "Kleee," or "Kley," reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations of the time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KLEE can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, in the year 1542, where a child named Hans Klee was baptized. This entry provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during that period.

In the 17th century, the name KLEE appeared in several historical records, including legal documents and property deeds. For example, in 1672, a man named Johann Klee was listed as a landowner in the town of Bamberg, Bavaria.

One notable historical figure with the surname KLEE was Paul Klee, a renowned Swiss-German artist who lived from 1879 to 1940. He is celebrated for his unique style of modernist and expressionist paintings, which incorporated elements of cubism, surrealism, and abstraction.

Another individual with the KLEE surname was Johann Klee, a German military officer who served in the Prussian Army during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He was born in 1782 and died in 1853.

In the field of literature, Ludwig Klee was a German writer and poet who lived from 1890 to 1947. He is known for his poetry collections and his work as a critic and editor.

Another notable figure with the KLEE surname was Katharina Klee, a German philanthropist and social reformer who lived from 1821 to 1892. She founded several charitable organizations and worked to improve the living conditions of the poor and underprivileged.

Finally, Heinrich Klee, a German composer and musician, lived from 1800 to 1840. He composed several operas and instrumental works, contributing to the rich musical tradition of Germany during that era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Klee

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

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

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

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