2000
#18,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,371
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Kleeman
An occupational surname derived from the Middle German "kleine" meaning small or petite person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,550 Americans carry the last name Kleeman. That puts it at #19,925 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 221,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kleeman 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
1.6K
1 in 221,132
Census rank
#19,925
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,352 bearers of the surname Kleeman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19925th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kleeman
The surname Kleeman has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "klein," meaning small or little, and "man," which translates to a person or individual. As a result, the name Kleeman likely referred to someone of small stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the town records of Bamberg, Bavaria, in 1578, where a certain Hans Kleemann is mentioned as a local resident. It's probable that the name was initially used as a descriptive surname to distinguish individuals within the community.
In the 17th century, the Kleeman name can be found in various German-speaking regions, including Saxony, Thuringia, and Silesia. During this period, the spelling variations "Kleemann" and "Kleman" were also commonly used.
A notable figure from this era was Johann Kleemann (1668-1743), a German botanist and explorer. He was born in Nuremberg and is best known for his work on the flora of Russia and Persia, having participated in several expeditions to these regions.
As the Kleeman family spread across Europe, the name also appeared in other countries. In the late 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the Netherlands, where the spelling "Kleeman" became more prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States dates back to the 1840s, when several Kleeman families immigrated from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Among these early immigrants was August Kleeman (1822-1898), a farmer who settled in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
Another notable individual with the Kleeman surname was Alfred Kleeman (1849-1913), a German-American businessman and inventor. He was born in Hanover, Germany, and later emigrated to the United States, where he established the Kleeman & Company, a successful manufacturing firm in Cincinnati, Ohio.
In the 20th century, one of the most prominent figures with the Kleeman name was Ralph Kleeman (1909-1995), an American cartoonist and illustrator. He was best known for his work in the New Yorker magazine, where he contributed numerous cartoons and illustrations over several decades.
The surname Kleeman continues to be found in various parts of the world, including Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and other countries with significant German or Dutch immigrant populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kleeman
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kleeman 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 Kleeman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 1,245
- Two or more races4.0% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 14
- Black or African American0.4% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kleeman
Kleeman 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
#22,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,175
-196 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Down 3,496 places
2020
#19,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,352
+177 bearers (+15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Up 2,131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,560 | 1,371 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,056 | 1,175 | 0.40 | -196 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 3,496 places |
| 2020 | #19,925 | 1,352 | 0.45 | +177 bearers (+15.1%) | Up 2,131 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 Kleeman 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 | #22,056 | #19,925 | 9.7% |
| Count | 1,175 | 1,352 | 15.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.45 | 13.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kleeman bearers went from 1,175 to 1,352 (+15.1% change). The surname moved up 2,131 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,056 to #19,925.
FAQ
Kleeman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kleeman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,550 living Americans carry the surname Kleeman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 221,132 residents.
How common is Kleeman?
Kleeman ranks #19,925 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 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 1,352 people with the surname Kleeman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,550), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 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 Kleeman.
Has Kleeman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kleeman went from 1,175 recorded bearers to 1,352. That is an increase of 177 (+15.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,056 to #19,925.
What does the Census say about the background of Kleeman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Kleeman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (1,245 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kleeman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Kleeman (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 Kleeman mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Middle German "kleine" meaning small or petite person. 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 Kleeman (0.45 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 common is the surname Kleeman?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Kleeman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.