2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Klimeck
A German surname derived from the Slavic word for a rocky cliff or crag.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Klimeck. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klimeck 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Klimeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klimeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klimeck
The surname Klimeck is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Polish word "klim," meaning a linden tree. The name likely originated in areas of Poland where linden trees were abundant, such as the Masovian region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Klimeck can be found in the 1564 census of the village of Radom, where a Jakub Klimeck is listed as a resident. In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records throughout central Poland, with spellings including Klimek, Klymek, and Klymek.
During the 18th century, the Klimeck surname gained prominence with the birth of Józef Klimeck (1724-1796), a renowned Polish philosopher and theologian. He was a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and authored several works on metaphysics and ethics.
In the 19th century, the name Klimeck was associated with the Polish struggle for independence. Jan Klimeck (1818-1889) was a notable military leader and participant in the November Uprising of 1830-1831 against the Russian Empire.
Another notable figure was Maria Klimeck (1854-1928), a Polish author and social activist. She was a proponent of women's rights and founded several organizations aimed at improving the lives of working-class women and children.
In the early 20th century, the Klimeck surname made its way to the United States through Polish immigration. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Stanisław Klimeck (1892-1971), who arrived in Chicago in 1912 and worked as a carpenter.
Throughout history, the Klimeck name has been associated with various professions and fields, from academia and literature to military service and social activism. While its origins can be traced back to the linden tree, the surname has taken on diverse meanings and significance over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klimeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Klimeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Klimeck 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 Klimeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 90
- Two or more races7.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klimeck
Klimeck 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,638 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,638 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,787 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 Klimeck 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 | #149,395 | #154,182 | -3.2% |
| Count | 110 | 103 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klimeck bearers went from 110 to 103 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,787 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #154,182.
FAQ
Klimeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klimeck?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Klimeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Klimeck?
Klimeck ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Klimeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Klimeck.
Has Klimeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klimeck went from 110 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Klimeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klimeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Klimeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klimeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (7.8%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Klimeck (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 Klimeck mean?
A German surname derived from the Slavic word for a rocky cliff or crag. 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 Klimeck (0.03 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 have the surname Klimeck?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.