2000
#13,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,987
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Klepper
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of wooden clogs or shoes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,051 Americans carry the last name Klepper. That puts it at #15,716 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klepper 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
2.1K
1 in 167,116
Census rank
#15,716
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,789 bearers of the surname Klepper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15716th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klepper
The surname Klepper is of German origin, deriving from the Middle Low German word "klepper," which referred to a small horse or a nag. This name likely originated as an occupational name for someone who worked with horses, such as a groom or a stable hand.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Klepper can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany. It was particularly prevalent in areas such as Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and the Rhineland.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Klepper was Hans Klepper, a merchant who lived in the city of Cologne in the late 15th century. Records from the city archives mention his involvement in trade with the Hanseatic League.
In the 16th century, the name Klepper appeared in several historical documents, including the tax records of the town of Münster in Westphalia. These records list several families with the surname Klepper, indicating their presence in the region during that time.
During the 17th century, the Klepper name gained prominence in the town of Kalkar, located in the Lower Rhine region of Germany. One notable individual from this period was Johann Klepper (1625-1689), a respected theologian and author who wrote several works on Protestant theology.
The 18th century saw the rise of a prominent Klepper family in the city of Lübeck, a major trading center in northern Germany. This family produced several influential merchants and civic leaders, including Christoph Klepper (1718-1798), who served as a member of the city council.
In the 19th century, the Klepper surname spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. One notable figure was the German-American author and journalist Theodor Klepper (1815-1888), who emigrated to the United States and became a prominent voice in the German-American community.
As the name Klepper continued to spread, it was also associated with various place names and geographic locations. For example, the village of Kleppermühle in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate likely derived its name from an association with the Klepper surname.
Throughout its history, the Klepper name has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and public figures. Some notable examples include the German painter Erich Klepper (1889-1962), the Austrian composer and conductor Karl Klepper (1904-1982), and the German politician Ewald Klepper (1926-2016), who served as a member of the Bundestag.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klepper
Among Census respondents with the surname Klepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Klepper 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 Klepper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 1,634
- Two or more races3.5% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klepper
Klepper 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
#13,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,245
+258 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 416 places
2020
#15,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,789
-456 bearers (-20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 2,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,925 | 1,987 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,509 | 2,245 | 0.76 | +258 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 416 places |
| 2020 | #15,716 | 1,789 | 0.60 | -456 bearers (-20.3%) | Down 2,207 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 Klepper 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 | #13,509 | #15,716 | -16.3% |
| Count | 2,245 | 1,789 | -20.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.60 | -21.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klepper bearers went from 2,245 to 1,789 (-20.3% change). The surname moved down 2,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,509 to #15,716.
FAQ
Klepper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klepper?
Name Census estimates that about 2,051 living Americans carry the surname Klepper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,116 residents.
How common is Klepper?
Klepper ranks #15,716 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,789 people with the surname Klepper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,051), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Klepper.
Has Klepper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klepper went from 2,245 recorded bearers to 1,789. That is a decrease of 456 (-20.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,509 to #15,716.
What does the Census say about the background of Klepper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Klepper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (1,634 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klepper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Klepper (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 Klepper mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of wooden clogs or shoes. 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 Klepper (0.60 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 are called Klepper?
Find out how many people have the last name Klepper on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.