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

Kleven, 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 Kleven surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kleven in America

Kleven is the 15611th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kleven surname appeared 1,872 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kleven.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kleven 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 Kleven

The surname Kleven originated in Norway during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "kle" meaning "cliff" and "vin" meaning "meadow," likely referring to a geographic location with a meadow near a cliff.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents dating back to the 12th century. In a document from 1348, a man named Thorstein Kleven is mentioned as a landowner in the Gudbrandsdalen region of Norway.

Another early reference to the name can be found in the Aslak Bolts jordebok, a cadastre or land register from the 16th century, where several individuals with the surname Kleven are listed as farmers and landowners in various parts of Norway.

The first known person with the surname Kleven was Torgrim Kleven, born around 1220 in Vågå, Norway. He was a prominent landowner and farmer in the region.

In the 17th century, Halvor Kleven (1634-1698) was a respected blacksmith and metalworker from Skjåk, Norway, known for his intricate work on church doors and other decorative metalwork.

Ingrid Kleven (1888-1962) was a Norwegian writer and poet who gained recognition for her collections of poetry and novels depicting life in rural Norway.

Olav Kleven (1901-1982), a Norwegian architect, was renowned for his innovative designs and contributions to the development of modern architecture in Norway.

Arne Kleven (1909-1988) was a Norwegian politician and member of the Norwegian Labour Party. He served as the Minister of Fisheries from 1963 to 1965 and played a significant role in shaping Norway's fisheries policies.

Throughout history, the name Kleven has been associated with rural communities and agricultural traditions in Norway, reflecting its origins as a geographic descriptor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kleven

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

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

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

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