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

Klemm, 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 Klemm surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Klemm in America

Klemm is the 10715th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Klemm surname appeared 2,982 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 Klemm.

We can also compare 2010 data for Klemm 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 Klemm

The surname Klemm originated in Germany and is derived from the Low German word "klemme" or "klamm," which means "pincer" or "clamp." This occupation-based surname was likely given to someone who worked as a blacksmith or metalworker, perhaps using pincers or clamps as part of their trade.

The earliest known record of the Klemm surname dates back to the 13th century in the German state of Saxony. The name is also found in various historical documents from the same region, including church registers and tax records from the late Middle Ages.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Klemm surname was Johann Klemm, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1460 to 1537. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.

In the 17th century, the Klemm family was well-established in the town of Zwickau, Saxony. Johann Michael Klemm (1688-1754), a Lutheran pastor and theologian, was born and worked in Zwickau during this period.

During the 19th century, several members of the Klemm family gained recognition in various fields. August Friedrich Klemm (1807-1858) was a German geographer and ethnologist who made significant contributions to the study of cultural anthropology. His brother, Gustav Friedrich Klemm (1802-1867), was a renowned German chemist and inventor.

Another notable figure with the Klemm surname was Max Klemm (1875-1949), a German architect who designed several important buildings in Berlin, including the Kammergericht (Court of Appeal) and the Gewerbeschule (Vocational School).

In the early 20th century, Erich Klemm (1890-1961) was a German aviation pioneer who designed and built several innovative aircraft, including the Klemm L.25, one of the first successful light aircraft. He founded the Klemm Leichtflugzeugbau aircraft manufacturing company in 1926.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Klemm

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

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

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

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