2000
#11,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,391
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Klee
A German and Dutch surname derived from the Middle High German word "kle," meaning "clover."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,777 Americans carry the last name Klee. That puts it at #12,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klee 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Klee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,426
Census rank
#12,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,422 bearers of the surname Klee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klee, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klee
Among Census respondents with the surname Klee, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Klee 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 Klee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 2,100
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 159
- Two or more races3.2% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 49
- Black or African American1.1% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klee
Klee 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
#12,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,440
+49 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 681 places
2020
#12,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,422
-18 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 397 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,986 | 2,391 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,667 | 2,440 | 0.83 | +49 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 681 places |
| 2020 | #12,270 | 2,422 | 0.81 | -18 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 397 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 Klee 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 | #12,667 | #12,270 | 3.1% |
| Count | 2,440 | 2,422 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.81 | -2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klee bearers went from 2,440 to 2,422 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 397 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,667 to #12,270.
FAQ
Klee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klee?
Name Census estimates that about 2,777 living Americans carry the surname Klee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,426 residents.
How common is Klee?
Klee ranks #12,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,422 people with the surname Klee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,777), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Klee.
Has Klee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klee went from 2,440 recorded bearers to 2,422. That is a decrease of 18 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,667 to #12,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Klee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klee, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Klee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (2,100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Hispanic (6.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Klee (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 Klee mean?
A German and Dutch surname derived from the Middle High German word "kle," meaning "clover." 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 Klee (0.81 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 Klee?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Klee, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.