2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Klejka
A Polish surname denoting someone who lived near a lime kiln or worked as a lime burner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Klejka. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klejka 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Klejka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klejka, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klejka
The surname KLEJKA is of Polish origin, emerging in the late 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "klejka," which means "glue" or "adhesive." The name likely originated in the area that is now central Poland, with early records indicating families with this surname residing in the regions around Warsaw and Krakow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KLEJKA surname appears in a 1598 land registry document from the village of Gołuchów, near the city of Kalisz. The document mentions a Jan KLEJKA, who was listed as a landowner and likely worked as a craftsman or tradesman involved in the production or use of adhesives.
In the 17th century, the KLEJKA name can be found in various church records and census documents from towns and villages across central Poland. Notably, a Józef KLEJKA, born in 1642, is recorded as a member of the guild of carpenters and joiners in the city of Lublin.
The 18th century saw the KLEJKA surname spread to other parts of Poland, with records indicating families in cities such as Poznań and Gdańsk. One notable figure from this time was Franciszek KLEJKA (1734-1811), a respected scholar and professor of mathematics at the University of Krakow.
As Poland underwent political upheavals in the 19th century, many KLEJKA families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. In 1852, a Stanisław KLEJKA (1825-1892) settled in the town of Hrubieszów, now in southeastern Poland, where he established a successful carpentry business that employed several generations of the KLEJKA family.
Other notable individuals with the KLEJKA surname include Michał KLEJKA (1876-1942), a prominent lawyer and politician in the Second Polish Republic, and Jadwiga KLEJKA (1920-2005), a celebrated Polish actress and theater director who performed extensively in Warsaw and Kraków.
Throughout its history, the KLEJKA surname has maintained its connection to craftsmanship, particularly in trades involving woodworking and adhesives. While the name has spread across Poland and beyond, its roots can be traced back to the central regions of the country, where it first emerged as a marker of a family's occupation and livelihood.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klejka
Among Census respondents with the surname Klejka, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Klejka 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 Klejka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klejka
Klejka appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,484 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 Klejka 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 | #138,304 | #142,788 | -3.2% |
| Count | 121 | 119 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klejka bearers went from 121 to 119 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 4,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #142,788.
FAQ
Klejka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klejka?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Klejka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Klejka?
Klejka ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Klejka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Klejka.
Has Klejka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klejka went from 121 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Klejka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klejka, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Klejka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klejka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Klejka (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 Klejka mean?
A Polish surname denoting someone who lived near a lime kiln or worked as a lime burner. 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 Klejka (0.04 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 have the surname Klejka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.