2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Klems
A surname potentially derived from a German occupational term for a carpenter or woodworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Klems. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klems 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Klems in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klems, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klems
The surname KLEMS is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the northern regions, during the Middle Ages. It may have derived from the Old Germanic word "klemi," meaning "to clamp" or "to clasp," suggesting a possible occupation or trade connection for the earliest bearers of the name.
One of the earliest known records of the KLEMS surname can be found in the Historisches Ortsnamenbuch von Sachsen (Historical Place Names of Saxony), a compendium of place names and their origins in the German state of Saxony. This work references a village named Klemsdorf, which may have been named after an early settler or landowner with the KLEMS surname.
The KLEMS name appears to have spread across various regions of Germany throughout the medieval and early modern periods. Variations in spelling, such as Klemm, Klemme, and Klemms, were likely due to regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
One notable bearer of the KLEMS surname was Johann Klems (1652-1708), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth. His compositions for organ and harpsichord were widely performed and published during his lifetime.
Another historical figure with this surname was Friedrich Klems (1798-1864), a German mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of calculus. His textbooks on advanced mathematics were widely used in universities throughout the 19th century.
In the realm of literature, the German author and poet Gertrud Klems (1856-1932) gained recognition for her novels and short stories depicting rural life in the Black Forest region of Germany. Her works were praised for their vivid descriptions and insightful portrayals of local customs and traditions.
The KLEMS surname also found its way to other parts of Europe, with instances recorded in countries like the Netherlands and Switzerland. One notable example is the Dutch painter Willem Klems (1730-1790), who was known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting everyday life in the Netherlands during the 18th century.
While the KLEMS surname may not have achieved widespread fame or prominence, its rich history and potential connections to various trades and professions make it a fascinating subject for further exploration into the origins and evolution of German surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klems
Among Census respondents with the surname Klems, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Klems 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 Klems surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klems
Klems 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+18 bearers (+15.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,958 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-10 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+15.9%) | Up 6,958 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 11,484 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 Klems 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 | #129,825 | #141,309 | -8.8% |
| Count | 131 | 121 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klems bearers went from 131 to 121 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 11,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #141,309.
FAQ
Klems surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klems?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Klems. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Klems?
Klems ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Klems. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Klems.
Has Klems become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klems went from 131 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Klems?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klems, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Klems in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klems appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Klems (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 Klems mean?
A surname potentially derived from a German occupational term for a carpenter or woodworker. 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 Klems (0.04 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 Klems?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.