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

Klinger, 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 Klinger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Klinger in America

Klinger is the 3864th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Klinger surname appeared 9,179 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Klinger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Klinger 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 Klinger

The surname Klinger is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "klingen," meaning "to sound" or "to ring." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a bell-ringer or in a profession related to metalworking.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early recorded instances found in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Swabia. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Konrad der Klinger, who was mentioned in a document from the city of Nuremberg in 1292.

Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, the surname Klinger appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, often associated with artisans, tradesmen, and members of the emerging middle class in German towns and cities.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Klinger was Andreas Klinger (1522-1561), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who played a role in the Reformation movement in Saxony.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Klinger family name gained prominence in several parts of Germany, including the regions of Württemberg and Hesse. One notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Maximilian von Klinger (1752-1831), a German playwright, novelist, and dramatist who was a leading figure in the Sturm und Drang literary movement.

Another notable figure was Max Klinger (1857-1920), a German painter, sculptor, and printmaker who was a prominent representative of the Symbolist movement in art. His works, which often explored themes of life, death, and the human condition, were highly influential in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the 19th century, the surname Klinger also gained recognition in the field of medicine with the German physician and pathologist Friedrich Gustav Jakob Klinger (1801-1868), who made significant contributions to the study of diseases of the brain and spinal cord.

Throughout its history, the surname Klinger has been associated with various professions, from artisans and tradesmen to intellectuals, artists, and medical professionals, reflecting the diverse paths taken by bearers of this name across different regions of Germany and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Klinger

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

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

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

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