2000
#57,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 332
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Kleindienst
A German occupational surname referring to someone who performs minor tasks or services.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 353 Americans carry the last name Kleindienst. That puts it at #68,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 970,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kleindienst 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
353
1 in 970,975
Census rank
#68,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
308
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 308 bearers of the surname Kleindienst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleindienst, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kleindienst
The surname Kleindienst originates from Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German words "klein" meaning "small" and "dienst" meaning "service" or "duty." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who performed minor services or held a lesser position.
The earliest known record of the name Kleindienst appears in a church register from the town of Schwabach, Bavaria, in 1562. This entry mentions a certain Hans Kleindienst, who was likely a resident of the town at that time.
Another notable early reference to the name can be found in the Thirty Years' War records from the early 17th century. A soldier named Johann Kleindienst is listed as serving in the Protestant army during this conflict, which ravaged much of central Europe between 1618 and 1648.
In the 18th century, the surname Kleindienst was documented in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Franconia, and the Rhineland. One prominent individual bearing this name was Johann Georg Kleindienst (1707-1776), a German philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Wittenberg.
Moving into the 19th century, the name Kleindienst appears in connection with several notable figures. Friedrich Kleindienst (1830-1890) was a German architect responsible for designing several prominent buildings in Leipzig, including the New Town Hall and the Reichsgerichtsgebäude (Imperial Court Building).
Another individual worth mentioning is Johann Kleindienst (1834-1901), a German Catholic priest and author who published works on theology and church history. He served as a professor at the University of Freiburg and was known for his scholarly contributions.
In the early 20th century, the name Kleindienst gained further prominence with the birth of Erich Kleindienst (1903-1976), a German mathematician and physicist. He made significant contributions to the field of theoretical physics and held academic positions at various universities, including the University of Leipzig and the University of Halle.
It's important to note that while these examples provide insights into the history and distribution of the surname Kleindienst, the name has likely been borne by many other individuals throughout the centuries, whose stories may not have been as well documented or preserved.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kleindienst
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleindienst, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kleindienst 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 Kleindienst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 279
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 17
- Two or more races3.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kleindienst
Kleindienst 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
#57,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 352
+20 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 375 places
2020
#68,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
-44 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 11,008 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,406 | 332 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,781 | 352 | 0.12 | +20 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 375 places |
| 2020 | #68,789 | 308 | 0.10 | -44 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 11,008 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 Kleindienst 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 | #57,781 | #68,789 | -19.1% |
| Count | 352 | 308 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.10 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kleindienst bearers went from 352 to 308 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 11,008 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,781 to #68,789.
FAQ
Kleindienst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kleindienst?
Name Census estimates that about 353 living Americans carry the surname Kleindienst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 970,975 residents.
How common is Kleindienst?
Kleindienst ranks #68,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 308 people with the surname Kleindienst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (353), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Kleindienst.
Has Kleindienst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kleindienst went from 352 recorded bearers to 308. That is a decrease of 44 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #57,781 to #68,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Kleindienst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleindienst, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Kleindienst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (279 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kleindienst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Kleindienst (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 Kleindienst mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who performs minor tasks or services. 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 Kleindienst (0.10 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 share the surname Kleindienst?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.