2000
#9,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Kleinman
A Jewish surname of German origin meaning "small man," likely referring to a person of short stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,728 Americans carry the last name Kleinman. That puts it at #9,562 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,941 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kleinman 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 Kleinman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,941
Census rank
#9,562
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,251 bearers of the surname Kleinman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9562nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleinman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kleinman
The surname Kleinman is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is a combination of the German words "klein," meaning small or little, and "man," which refers to a person or individual. This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone of small stature or as a means of distinguishing between individuals with the same first name.
The earliest recorded instances of the Kleinman surname can be found in various German regional records from the 13th and 14th centuries. These include references to individuals such as Hermann Kleinmann from Cologne in 1287 and Konrad Kleinman from Nuremberg in 1341. The name also appeared in its variations, such as Kleynman and Cleinman, reflecting regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
Kleinman is a common surname in regions like Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland, where it is believed to have originated. It is also found in areas with significant German immigration, such as the United States and Canada. Some notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Rabbi Milton Steinberg (1903-1950), an American philosopher, theologian, and author of influential works such as "As a Driven Leaf."
2. Marvin Kleinman (1928-2022), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Children's Cancer Fund.
3. Eugene Kleinman (1923-2008), an American abstract expressionist painter known for his vibrant and gestural works.
4. Carl Kleinman (1869-1940), a German-born American businessman and co-founder of the Kleinman Realty Company in New York City.
5. Hans Kleinman (1892-1979), a German artist and sculptor known for his works depicting scenes from rural life.
While the Kleinman name is primarily associated with German ancestry, it has also been adopted by families of other ethnicities over time. However, its origins can be traced back to the linguistic roots of the German language and the naming traditions of the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kleinman
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleinman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kleinman 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 Kleinman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 3,046
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 93
- Two or more races2.4% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kleinman
Kleinman 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
#9,607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,383
+126 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 395 places
2020
#9,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,251
-132 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,212 | 3,257 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,607 | 3,383 | 1.15 | +126 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 395 places |
| 2020 | #9,562 | 3,251 | 1.09 | -132 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 45 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 Kleinman 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 | #9,607 | #9,562 | 0.5% |
| Count | 3,383 | 3,251 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.09 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kleinman bearers went from 3,383 to 3,251 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,607 to #9,562.
FAQ
Kleinman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kleinman?
Name Census estimates that about 3,728 living Americans carry the surname Kleinman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,941 residents.
How common is Kleinman?
Kleinman ranks #9,562 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,251 people with the surname Kleinman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,728), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kleinman.
Has Kleinman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kleinman went from 3,383 recorded bearers to 3,251. That is a decrease of 132 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,607 to #9,562.
What does the Census say about the background of Kleinman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleinman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) 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 Kleinman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (3,046 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kleinman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (2.9%), 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 Kleinman (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 Kleinman mean?
A Jewish surname of German origin meaning "small man," likely referring to a person of short stature. 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 Kleinman (1.09 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 are called Kleinman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Kleinman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.