2000
#9,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,322
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Klingler
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of blades, swords, or knives.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,163 Americans carry the last name Klingler. That puts it at #8,679 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,333 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klingler 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
4.2K
1 in 82,333
Census rank
#8,679
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,630 bearers of the surname Klingler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8679th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klingler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klingler
The surname Klingler originates from Germany and can be traced back to the late 15th century. It is derived from the German word "klingel," which means "bell" or "door knocker." The name likely referred to an occupation such as a bell maker or someone who lived near a bell tower.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Klingler name can be found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria. In 1487, a man named Hans Klingler was listed as a resident in the town's records.
The Klingler name also appeared in various church records and tax rolls throughout the 16th and 17th centuries in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Franconia, and Baden-Württemberg.
One notable person with the Klingler surname was Johann Klingler, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1670 to 1724. He was born in Nuremberg and is known for his religious paintings and engravings depicting biblical scenes.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Georg Klingler, a German clergyman and theologian born in 1675 in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. He served as a pastor and authored several theological works during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the Klingler name can be found in the records of German immigrants to the American colonies. For example, Johannes Klingler arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748, settling in the area that is now known as Berks County.
Another noteworthy figure was Friedrich Klingler, a German-born American artist who lived from 1816 to 1888. He immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century and is known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West.
The surname Klingler has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Klingenberg, a town in Bavaria, and Klingelbach, a small village in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klingler
Among Census respondents with the surname Klingler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Klingler 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 Klingler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 3,409
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 96
- Two or more races2.6% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klingler
Klingler 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
#8,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,668
+346 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Up 125 places
2020
#8,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,630
-38 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Up 244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,048 | 3,322 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,923 | 3,668 | 1.24 | +346 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 125 places |
| 2020 | #8,679 | 3,630 | 1.21 | -38 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 244 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 Klingler 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 | #8,923 | #8,679 | 2.7% |
| Count | 3,668 | 3,630 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.21 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klingler bearers went from 3,668 to 3,630 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 244 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,923 to #8,679.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Klingler
FAQ
Klingler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klingler?
Name Census estimates that about 4,163 living Americans carry the surname Klingler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,333 residents.
How common is Klingler?
Klingler ranks #8,679 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,630 people with the surname Klingler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,163), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Klingler.
Has Klingler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klingler went from 3,668 recorded bearers to 3,630. That is a decrease of 38 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,923 to #8,679.
What does the Census say about the background of Klingler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klingler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Klingler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (3,409 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klingler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Klingler (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 Klingler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of blades, swords, or knives. 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 Klingler (1.21 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 Klingler?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.