2000
#35,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 593
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Klingel
A German surname derived from the word "klingel" meaning "little bell".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 695 Americans carry the last name Klingel. That puts it at #39,225 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 493,172 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klingel 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
695
1 in 493,172
Census rank
#39,225
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
606
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 606 bearers of the surname Klingel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 39225th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klingel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klingel
The surname Klingel is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word 'klingel' which translates to 'little bell'. It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, referring to a maker or seller of bells during the medieval period.
The earliest recorded instances of the Klingel surname can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. Some of the earliest documented examples include Johannes Klingel, a resident of Nuremberg in 1389, and Hans Klingel, a citizen of Heidelberg in 1427.
The Klingel name is also found in historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries, such as the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch (Württemberg Deed Book) and the Kirchenbücher (Church Books) from various German towns and villages.
Interestingly, the surname Klingel is closely related to the place name Klingenberg, a town in Bavaria, which suggests a possible connection between the surname and a specific geographic location.
Notable individuals bearing the Klingel surname throughout history include Johann Philipp Klingel (1680-1757), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg, and Friedrich Adolf Klingel (1812-1888), a German painter and lithographer born in Dresden.
Other prominent figures with the Klingel name include:
1. Johann Baptist Klingel (1725-1798), a German Catholic theologian and writer from Salzburg.
2. Johann Gottfried Klingel (1735-1805), a German Protestant theologian and author from Hesse.
3. Carl Klingel (1798-1879), a German entrepreneur and founder of the Klingel textile company in Pforzheim.
4. Gustav Klingel (1857-1940), a German-American architect and engineer known for his works in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
5. Alfred Klingel (1888-1945), a German World War I flying ace and recipient of the Pour le Mérite honor.
While the Klingel surname is predominantly found in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and immigration over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klingel
Among Census respondents with the surname Klingel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Klingel 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 Klingel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 574
- Two or more races2.6% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 11
- Black or African American0.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klingel
Klingel 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
#39,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 551
-42 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 4,040 places
2020
#39,225
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 606
+55 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Up 612 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,797 | 593 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,837 | 551 | 0.19 | -42 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 4,040 places |
| 2020 | #39,225 | 606 | 0.20 | +55 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 612 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 Klingel 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 | #39,837 | #39,225 | 1.5% |
| Count | 551 | 606 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.20 | 6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klingel bearers went from 551 to 606 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 612 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,837 to #39,225.
FAQ
Klingel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klingel?
Name Census estimates that about 695 living Americans carry the surname Klingel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 493,172 residents.
How common is Klingel?
Klingel ranks #39,225 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 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 606 people with the surname Klingel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (695), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 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 Klingel.
Has Klingel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klingel went from 551 recorded bearers to 606. That is an increase of 55 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #39,837 to #39,225.
What does the Census say about the background of Klingel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klingel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Klingel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (574 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klingel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Klingel (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 Klingel mean?
A German surname derived from the word "klingel" meaning "little bell". 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 Klingel (0.20 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 share the surname Klingel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.