2000
#9,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,974
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Klemm
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of clamps, clips, or hooks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,316 Americans carry the last name Klemm. That puts it at #10,576 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,364 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klemm 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
3.3K
1 in 103,364
Census rank
#10,576
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,892 bearers of the surname Klemm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10576th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klemm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 The name is also found in various historical documents from the same region, including church registers and tax records from the late Middle Ages.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klemm
Among Census respondents with the surname Klemm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Klemm 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 Klemm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,658
- Two or more races3.9% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 82
- Black or African American0.6% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klemm
Klemm 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
#10,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,982
+8 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 717 places
2020
#10,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,892
-90 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Up 139 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,998 | 2,974 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,715 | 2,982 | 1.01 | +8 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 717 places |
| 2020 | #10,576 | 2,892 | 0.97 | -90 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 139 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 Klemm 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 | #10,715 | #10,576 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,982 | 2,892 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.97 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klemm bearers went from 2,982 to 2,892 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 139 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,715 to #10,576.
FAQ
Klemm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klemm?
Name Census estimates that about 3,316 living Americans carry the surname Klemm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,364 residents.
How common is Klemm?
Klemm ranks #10,576 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,892 people with the surname Klemm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,316), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Klemm.
Has Klemm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klemm went from 2,982 recorded bearers to 2,892. That is a decrease of 90 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,715 to #10,576.
What does the Census say about the background of Klemm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klemm, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Klemm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klemm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Klemm (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 Klemm mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of clamps, clips, or hooks. 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 Klemm (0.97 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 Americans have the surname Klemm?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.