2000
#8,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,417
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Klink
A German occupational surname referring to a maker of door latches, locks, or bolts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,782 Americans carry the last name Klink. That puts it at #9,440 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,628 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klink 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
3.8K
1 in 90,628
Census rank
#9,440
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,298 bearers of the surname Klink in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9440th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klink
The surname KLINK originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "klinken," which means "to latch or fasten." The name may have been given to a locksmith or someone who worked with latches and hinges.
In the 16th century, the name KLINK can be found in records from the town of Klinkrath, located in the Rhineland region of Germany. This town's name is thought to have influenced the surname, as it contains the same root word.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname KLINK appears in the Kirchenbuch (church book) of Wertheim, Germany, in 1572, where a certain Hans Klink is mentioned.
In the 17th century, the KLINK name spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Denmark. In the Netherlands, the name was sometimes spelled as "Klinck" or "Klinken."
A notable bearer of the KLINK surname was Johann Klink (1635-1704), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg.
During the 18th century, the KLINK name continued to be documented in various German regions, such as Saxony and Brandenburg. In 1753, a Johann Friedrich Klink is recorded as being a merchant in the city of Leipzig.
In the 19th century, the KLINK surname made its way to the United States, where it was sometimes anglicized to "Klinck" or "Clink." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Johann Klink, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Germany in 1832.
Another notable bearer of the KLINK surname was Richard John Klink (1841-1923), a German-American artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
As the 20th century dawned, the KLINK name could be found in various parts of the world, including Australia, where a certain William Klink (1876-1957) was a prominent businessman and philanthropist.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klink
Among Census respondents with the surname Klink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Klink 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 Klink surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 3,036
- Two or more races3.4% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 33
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klink
Klink 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
#8,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,059
+642 bearers (+18.8%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Up 665 places
2020
#9,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,298
-761 bearers (-18.7%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 1,276 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,829 | 3,417 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,164 | 4,059 | 1.38 | +642 bearers (+18.8%) | Up 665 places |
| 2020 | #9,440 | 3,298 | 1.10 | -761 bearers (-18.7%) | Down 1,276 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 Klink 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 | #8,164 | #9,440 | -15.6% |
| Count | 4,059 | 3,298 | -18.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.10 | -20.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klink bearers went from 4,059 to 3,298 (-18.7% change). The surname moved down 1,276 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,164 to #9,440.
FAQ
Klink surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klink?
Name Census estimates that about 3,782 living Americans carry the surname Klink. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,628 residents.
How common is Klink?
Klink ranks #9,440 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,298 people with the surname Klink. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,782), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Klink.
Has Klink become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klink went from 4,059 recorded bearers to 3,298. That is a decrease of 761 (-18.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,164 to #9,440.
What does the Census say about the background of Klink?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klink, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Klink in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (3,036 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klink appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Klink (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 Klink mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker of door latches, locks, or bolts. 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 Klink (1.10 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 common is the surname Klink?
Find out how many people are called Klink on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.