2000
#10,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Kleinschmidt
A German occupational surname referring to a metalworker who specializes in making small, delicate objects.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,172 Americans carry the last name Kleinschmidt. That puts it at #10,984 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,056 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kleinschmidt 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
3.2K
1 in 108,056
Census rank
#10,984
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,766 bearers of the surname Kleinschmidt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10984th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleinschmidt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kleinschmidt
The surname Kleinschmidt is of German origin, originating in the late Middle Ages or the early modern period. It is a compound name formed from the German words "klein" meaning "small" and "schmidt" meaning "smith" or "blacksmith." The name likely referred to a blacksmith of small stature or one who worked at a small forge.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Kleinschmidt can be found recorded in various German regions, including Saxony, Brandenburg, and Silesia. Variants of the spelling include Kleinschmid, Kleinschmiedt, and Kleinschmit. The name may have initially arisen as a descriptive nickname before becoming an inherited surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kleinschmidt dates back to the early 16th century. In 1523, a certain Hans Kleinschmidt is mentioned in a document from the town of Zwickau, Saxony. Another early reference is found in the 1567 church records of Cottbus, Brandenburg, where a Nickel Kleinschmidt is listed.
In the 18th century, the name Kleinschmidt can be found in various locations across Germany. For example, Johann Gottlieb Kleinschmidt (1707-1785) was a prominent Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg. Another notable figure was Christian Kleinschmidt (1758-1831), a German poet and writer from Silesia.
During the 19th century, the Kleinschmidt name spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. One notable bearer was Otto Kleinschmidt (1870-1949), a German anthropologist and ethnologist who conducted extensive research in New Guinea and the Pacific Islands.
Other historical figures with the surname Kleinschmidt include:
- Erich Kleinschmidt (1876-1947), a German aviation pioneer and aircraft designer.
- Hans Kleinschmidt (1885-1977), a German-American artist and illustrator known for his work in the Western genre.
- Samuel Kleinschmidt (1814-1886), a German-born missionary and linguist who worked among the Inuit in Greenland.
- Theodor Kleinschmidt (1834-1881), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin.
The surname Kleinschmidt continues to be found in various parts of Germany and among German diaspora communities around the world, reflecting its long-standing presence as a distinctly German surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kleinschmidt
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleinschmidt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kleinschmidt 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 Kleinschmidt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,554
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 83
- Two or more races2.9% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 31
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kleinschmidt
Kleinschmidt 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
#11,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,863
-53 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 927 places
2020
#10,984
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,766
-97 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,159 | 2,916 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,086 | 2,863 | 0.97 | -53 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 927 places |
| 2020 | #10,984 | 2,766 | 0.93 | -97 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 102 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 Kleinschmidt 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 | #11,086 | #10,984 | 0.9% |
| Count | 2,863 | 2,766 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.93 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kleinschmidt bearers went from 2,863 to 2,766 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,086 to #10,984.
FAQ
Kleinschmidt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kleinschmidt?
Name Census estimates that about 3,172 living Americans carry the surname Kleinschmidt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,056 residents.
How common is Kleinschmidt?
Kleinschmidt ranks #10,984 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,766 people with the surname Kleinschmidt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Kleinschmidt.
Has Kleinschmidt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kleinschmidt went from 2,863 recorded bearers to 2,766. That is a decrease of 97 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,086 to #10,984.
What does the Census say about the background of Kleinschmidt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleinschmidt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Kleinschmidt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,554 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kleinschmidt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Kleinschmidt (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 Kleinschmidt mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a metalworker who specializes in making small, delicate objects. 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 Kleinschmidt (0.93 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 Kleinschmidt?
Find out how many people are called Kleinschmidt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.