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

Klock, 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 Klock surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Klock in America

Klock is the 12785th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Klock surname appeared 2,413 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Klock.

We can also compare 2010 data for Klock 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 Klock

The surname Klock is of German origin, with its earliest documented instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Middle Low German word "klock," meaning "bell" or "clock." This suggests that the name may have originated as an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked as a bell-maker or clockmaker.

One of the earliest known references to the name Klock can be found in the records of the city of Cologne, Germany, where a certain Hans Klock was mentioned in 1586. Another early record comes from the town of Haltern, in the Recklinghausen district of North Rhine-Westphalia, where a person named Johan Klock was documented in 1612.

In the 17th century, the name Klock began to appear in various parts of Germany, including the regions of Saxony, Hesse, and Brandenburg. During this period, several notable individuals bearing the surname emerged, such as Heinrich Klock (1630-1692), a Lutheran theologian and author from Halberstadt.

As the Klock family spread across Germany and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Klok, Klokke, and Klockow. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors in historical records.

One of the earliest known instances of the Klock surname in North America dates back to the late 17th century, when Johan Peter Klock (1650-1715) immigrated from Germany to the colony of New York. He and his descendants played a significant role in the early settlement and development of the Mohawk Valley region.

Among the notable individuals with the surname Klock throughout history are:

1. Caspar Klock (1583-1659), a German astronomer and mathematician from Gdańsk (Danzig).
2. Abraham Klock (1755-1828), an American Revolutionary War soldier and pioneer settler in upstate New York.
3. Johann Georg Klock (1745-1821), a German composer and organist from Thuringia.
4. Theodor Klock (1810-1876), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Klock Brewery in Braunschweig.
5. Albrecht Klock (1901-1977), a German architect and urban planner known for his work in post-World War II reconstruction.

While the surname Klock has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it likely emerged as an occupational name related to bell-making or clockmaking.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Klock

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

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

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

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