2000
#359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 79,685
First available Census row
Per 100,000 29.54
Uncommon Last name
Klein
A German and Jewish surname referring to someone of small stature or a junior member of a family.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 91,224 Americans carry the last name Klein. That puts it at #398 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 26.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,757 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klein 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 Klein with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
91K
1 in 3,757
Census rank
#398
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
26.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
80K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 79,552 bearers of the surname Klein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 26.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 398th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klein, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The name "Klein" was also found in some notable historical documents, such as the "Deutsches Städtebuch" (German Book of Cities), a compilation of city records from the late Middle Ages.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klein
Among Census respondents with the surname Klein, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Klein 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 Klein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 73,921
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 2,609
- Two or more races2.4% · 1,872
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 642
- Black or African American0.4% · 338
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 170
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klein
Klein 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
#392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 81,471
+1,786 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 27.62
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 79,552
-1,919 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 26.62
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #359 | 79,685 | 29.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #392 | 81,471 | 27.62 | +1,786 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #398 | 79,552 | 26.62 | -1,919 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 6 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 Klein 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 | #392 | #398 | -1.5% |
| Count | 81,471 | 79,552 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 27.62 | 26.62 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klein bearers went from 81,471 to 79,552 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #392 to #398.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Klein
FAQ
Klein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klein?
Name Census estimates that about 91,224 living Americans carry the surname Klein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,757 residents.
How common is Klein?
Klein ranks #398 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 26.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 27 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 79,552 people with the surname Klein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (91,224), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 26.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 26.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 27 of them to have the surname Klein.
Has Klein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klein went from 81,471 recorded bearers to 79,552. That is a decrease of 1,919 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #392 to #398.
What does the Census say about the background of Klein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klein, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Klein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (73,921 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Klein (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 Klein mean?
A German and Jewish surname referring to someone of small stature or a junior member of a family. 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 Klein (26.62 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 Klein?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Klein on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.