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

Klemp, 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 Klemp surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Klemp in America

Klemp is the 22749th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Klemp surname appeared 1,126 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Klemp.

We can also compare 2010 data for Klemp 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 Klemp

The surname Klemp is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Prussia and Silesia, during the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "klemp," which referred to a blacksmith or metalworker who worked with tongs or pincers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Klemp can be found in the historical records of the town of Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) in the 15th century, where a family of metalworkers bearing this surname was documented. The name may have also been associated with certain place names in the region, such as Klempten or Klempna, which could have influenced its spelling variations.

Notably, a Hans Klemp was mentioned in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous historical text published in 1493, as a skilled craftsman who contributed to the city's metalworking industry. Another prominent figure bearing this surname was Johann Klemp, a Lutheran theologian and scholar who lived in the 16th century (born around 1510, died 1567).

In the 17th century, the Klemp name appeared in the records of the town of Zwickau, Saxony, where a family of miners and metalworkers with this surname was documented. One member of this family, Georg Klemp (born 1635, died 1701), was a renowned clockmaker and inventor of innovative timepieces.

As the Klemp family spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions, the name also took on various spelling variations, such as Klempt, Klempke, and Klemper. One notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Klemper (1798-1857), a Prussian military officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent historian and author.

Another significant figure was Wilhelm Klemp (1879-1942), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party, who served as a member of the Reichstag in the early 20th century and was an outspoken critic of the Nazi regime.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Klemp

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

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

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

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