2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Klemesrud
A locational surname likely derived from a farm or village in Norway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Klemesrud. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klemesrud 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Klemesrud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klemesrud, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klemesrud
The surname Klemesrud originated in Norway during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "klemma" meaning "to pinch" or "to clamp," and "rudr" meaning "clearing" or "open area." This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a pinched or narrow clearing.
Klemesrud is a locational surname, indicating it was likely first adopted by someone from a specific place bearing that name. Unfortunately, records from that era are scarce, and the exact location the name stems from is unclear. However, similar place names like Klemmetsrud still exist in Norway today.
One of the earliest known references to the Klemesrud name is found in the 16th-century Norwegian census records. A man named Olav Klemesrud was listed as a farmer in the village of Skien in 1567.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the parish records of Borre, a municipality in Vestfold, Norway. A man named Nils Klemesrud was recorded as having been born there in 1642.
The first known Klemesrud to migrate to the United States was Hans Klemesrud, who arrived in New York City from Norway in 1832. He later settled in Wisconsin and had several children, helping to establish the name in America.
A notable Klemesrud was Theodor Klemesrud, a Norwegian educator and author born in 1823. He wrote several influential textbooks on mathematics and natural sciences that were widely used in Norwegian schools in the late 19th century.
Another historical figure with this surname was Arne Klemesrud, a Norwegian military officer born in 1891. He served as a lieutenant colonel in the Norwegian Army during World War II and played a key role in the resistance efforts against the German occupation.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the Klemesrud name was Betty Klemesrud, an American journalist born in 1939. She worked for The New York Times for over three decades, covering a wide range of social issues and human interest stories.
Other notable Klemesruds include Peder Klemesrud, a Norwegian politician and member of the Storting (parliament) in the late 1800s, and Sigrid Klemesrud, a Norwegian-American artist and sculptor active in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klemesrud
Among Census respondents with the surname Klemesrud, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Klemesrud 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 Klemesrud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klemesrud
Klemesrud 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,793 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 Klemesrud 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 | #160,975 | #154,182 | 4.2% |
| Count | 100 | 103 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klemesrud bearers went from 100 to 103 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,182.
FAQ
Klemesrud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klemesrud?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Klemesrud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Klemesrud?
Klemesrud ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Klemesrud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Klemesrud.
Has Klemesrud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klemesrud went from 100 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Klemesrud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klemesrud, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) 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 Klemesrud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klemesrud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (5.8%), 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 Klemesrud (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 Klemesrud mean?
A locational surname likely derived from a farm or village in Norway. 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 Klemesrud (0.03 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 Klemesrud?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.