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

Kleiber, 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 Kleiber surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kleiber in America

Kleiber is the 22450th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kleiber surname appeared 1,146 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kleiber.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kleiber 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 Kleiber

The surname Kleiber is of German origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "kleiber," which translates to "one who makes or sells clay products," such as pottery or bricks. This occupational surname suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were involved in the production or trade of clay-based goods.

The name is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Swabia, where pottery and brick-making were prevalent industries. Records from the 17th and 18th centuries show several instances of the name Kleiber appearing in church registers and census records from these regions.

One of the earliest known references to the name Kleiber can be found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria. In the town's archives, there is a record of a Johannes Kleiber, a master potter who lived and worked in the town during the late 16th century.

As the name spread throughout Germany, it also took on various spellings, such as Kleiber, Klayber, and Kleyber, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. In some instances, the name may have been derived from the German place name "Kleeb" or "Kleib," which could indicate that the earliest bearers of the name originated from or lived in these locations.

Several notable individuals have borne the surname Kleiber throughout history. One of the most famous is Carlos Kleiber (1930-2004), an Austrian-born German conductor widely regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century. His father, Erich Kleiber (1890-1956), was also a renowned German conductor.

Another notable figure was Johann Baptist Kleiber (1793-1873), a German Catholic priest and philosopher who wrote extensively on the relationship between faith and reason. In the field of science, Ewald Kleiber (1899-1945) was a German physicist who made significant contributions to the study of thermodynamics and the behavior of gases.

Lastly, Karl Kleiber (1838-1889) was a German sculptor and painter who produced several notable works, including the bronze equestrian statue of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, which stands in front of the Bavarian State Library in Munich.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kleiber

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!