2000
#21,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Kleman
A surname possibly derived from the German name Klemm or related to the occupation of making small metal decorations.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,424 Americans carry the last name Kleman. That puts it at #21,445 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 240,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kleman 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
1.4K
1 in 240,698
Census rank
#21,445
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,242 bearers of the surname Kleman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21445th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kleman
The surname Kleman originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "klein," meaning small or little, and was likely used as a descriptive surname for someone of short stature or a younger person. The name may also have been influenced by the Low German word "klemen," which means to pinch or squeeze.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kleman surname can be found in the town of Nürnberg, Germany, where a man named Hans Kleman was listed in municipal records from the year 1487. Another early record comes from the town of Augsburg, where a Peter Kleman was mentioned in a church register from 1502.
In the 16th century, the surname Kleman began appearing in various parts of Germany, including the regions of Bavaria, Saxony, and Rhineland. During this time, the name was also spelled in various ways, such as Kleeman, Kleemann, and Klemm, reflecting regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions.
One notable figure with the Kleman surname was Johann Kleman (1589-1663), a German theologian and writer who served as a pastor in the town of Zittau, Saxony. He published several works on religious subjects and was known for his sermons and biblical commentaries.
Another individual of note was Gottfried Kleman (1722-1789), a German painter and engraver who was born in Nürnberg. He is best known for his landscape paintings and etchings, which captured the natural beauty of the German countryside.
In the 19th century, the Kleman surname spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas due to emigration. One prominent individual from this time was Carl Kleman (1838-1912), a Swedish industrialist and inventor who pioneered the use of the electrochemical process for the production of bleaching agents.
While the Kleman surname has its roots in Germany, it has since been adopted by families in various countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and beyond. Some other notable individuals with this surname include American baseball player Bob Kleman (1922-1998), Australian politician John Kleman (1936-2021), and Canadian author and journalist Sabrina Kleman (born 1974).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kleman
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kleman 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 Kleman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 1,156
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 40
- Two or more races2.6% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kleman
Kleman 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
#23,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,052
-113 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 2,953 places
2020
#21,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,242
+190 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Up 2,533 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,025 | 1,165 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,978 | 1,052 | 0.36 | -113 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 2,953 places |
| 2020 | #21,445 | 1,242 | 0.42 | +190 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 2,533 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 Kleman 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 | #23,978 | #21,445 | 10.6% |
| Count | 1,052 | 1,242 | 18.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.42 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kleman bearers went from 1,052 to 1,242 (+18.1% change). The surname moved up 2,533 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,978 to #21,445.
FAQ
Kleman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kleman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,424 living Americans carry the surname Kleman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 240,698 residents.
How common is Kleman?
Kleman ranks #21,445 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 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 1,242 people with the surname Kleman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,424), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 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 Kleman.
Has Kleman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kleman went from 1,052 recorded bearers to 1,242. That is an increase of 190 (+18.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #23,978 to #21,445.
What does the Census say about the background of Kleman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleman, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Kleman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (1,156 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kleman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Kleman (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 Kleman mean?
A surname possibly derived from the German name Klemm or related to the occupation of making small metal decorations. 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 Kleman (0.42 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 Kleman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.