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

Klein, 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 Klein surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Klein in America

Klein is the 392nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Klein surname appeared 81,471 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 28 people would have the surname Klein.

We can also compare 2010 data for Klein 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 Klein

The surname "Klein" is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "klein," which means "small" or "little." The name was likely given as a descriptive surname to someone who was short in stature or a younger sibling.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname "Klein" can be found in various German regions, particularly in the areas of Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. One of the earliest known records dates back to the 13th century, where a person named "Heinrich der Kleine" (Henry the Small) was mentioned in a manuscript from the city of Cologne.

In the 14th century, the surname "Klein" appeared in several municipal records and tax rolls across German territories. For example, a certain "Konrad Klein" was listed as a landowner in the town of Nuremberg in 1365.

The name "Klein" was also found in some notable historical documents, such as the "Deutsches Städtebuch" (German Book of Cities), a compilation of city records from the late Middle Ages. In this book, several individuals with the surname "Klein" were recorded as residents of various German towns and cities.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname "Klein." One of the earliest was Johannes Klein (1435-1508), a German cartographer and mathematician who created one of the earliest globes depicting the New World.

Another prominent figure was Johann Samuel Klein (1745-1814), a German-born physician and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of insects and other invertebrates.

In the 19th century, Felix Klein (1849-1925) was a renowned German mathematician who made groundbreaking contributions to the fields of geometry and group theory.

More recently, Calvin Klein (born 1942) is a famous American fashion designer known for establishing a global fashion and lifestyle brand bearing his surname.

It is also worth mentioning that the surname "Klein" has also been adapted into various languages and cultures, such as the French "Petit" and the Dutch "de Kleine," which share a similar meaning and origin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Klein

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

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

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

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