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

Kleist, 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 Kleist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kleist in America

Kleist is the 18166th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kleist surname appeared 1,532 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kleist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kleist 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 Kleist

The surname Kleist is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, derived from the Low German word "kleit," meaning "clay" or "loam." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived in an area with clayey soil or worked as potters or brickmakers.

The name Kleist is first recorded in the 13th century, appearing in various medieval documents from northern Germany. One of the earliest known references is found in the records of the city of Lübeck, where a certain Nicolaus Kleist is mentioned in 1259. This indicates that the name was well-established in the region of Holstein and Mecklenburg during that time.

In the 14th century, the Kleist family gained prominence as members of the Pomeranian nobility. They held estates and manors in the Duchy of Pomerania, which is now part of modern-day Germany and Poland. The name is also found in historical records from the nearby regions of Brandenburg and Saxony.

One notable figure bearing the Kleist name was Ewald von Kleist (1615-1689), a Prussian field marshal who played a significant role in the Great Northern War against Sweden. He is remembered for his military leadership and strategic victories in battles such as the Battle of Fehrbellin in 1675.

Another prominent member of the Kleist family was Ewald Christian von Kleist (1715-1759), a Prussian poet and officer who served in the Seven Years' War. He is best known for his elegiac poetry and his tragic death on the battlefield during the Battle of Kunersdorf.

The 19th century saw the rise of Ewald von Kleist (1881-1954), a German naval officer and later politician who served as the last Chancellor of Germany during the final days of World War II in 1945. He played a crucial role in the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany to the Allied forces.

Perhaps the most celebrated figure with the Kleist surname is Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist (1777-1811), a renowned German playwright, poet, and novelist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the German Romantic movement and is best known for his plays "Der zerbrochene Krug" (The Broken Jug) and "Prinz Friedrich von Homburg" (Prince Friedrich of Homburg).

The name Kleist has also been associated with various place names in northern Germany, such as the town of Kleist in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which likely derived its name from the family or vice versa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kleist

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

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

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

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