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

Klett, 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 Klett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Klett in America

Klett is the 21660th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Klett surname appeared 1,203 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 Klett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Klett 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 Klett

The surname Klett originated from the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages in regions of modern-day Germany and Austria. It is derived from the Old High German word "kletta," which means "a steep rock" or "cliff." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or on a rocky or cliffy terrain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Klett surname can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sanctissimi Michaelis Bambergensis, a medieval cartulary from the Benedictine monastery of Michelsberg in Bamberg, Germany. This document, dating back to the 11th century, mentions a certain "Heinricus Cletto."

During the late medieval period, the surname Klett appeared in various forms, such as Cletto, Clettho, and Klette, in various regions of Germany and Austria. For instance, the Urbarium Ducatus Styriae, a land register from the Duchy of Styria (now part of Austria), recorded a "Chunradus Klette" in the 14th century.

The earliest known bearer of the Klett surname was likely a resident of a place with a rocky or cliffy landscape, which may have influenced the adoption of this topographic name. Over time, the name spread to different regions as people migrated, and the spelling variations emerged.

One notable individual with the Klett surname was Johann Christian Klett (1728-1800), a German theologian and educator who served as the principal of the prestigious Nickolsburg Gymnasium in Württemberg, Germany.

Another prominent figure was Michael Klett (1813-1892), a German-American entrepreneur and founder of the Klett Publishing Company, one of the largest educational publishing houses in Germany.

In the realm of literature, the German writer and poet Theodor Klett (1816-1867) gained recognition for his works, which included poetry collections and novels.

The name Klett also has connections to the world of science, with the German mathematician and astronomer Johann Friedrich Klett (1705-1784), who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of comet orbits.

Lastly, in the field of art, the German painter and printmaker Paul Klett (1854-1919) is known for his landscape paintings and etchings, many of which depicted the picturesque scenery of the Black Forest region in southwestern Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Klett

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

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

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

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