2000
#11,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,479
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Klock
A German occupational surname referring to a clockmaker or locksmith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,592 Americans carry the last name Klock. That puts it at #12,996 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klock 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
2.6K
1 in 132,235
Census rank
#12,996
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,260 bearers of the surname Klock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12996th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klock
Among Census respondents with the surname Klock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Klock 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 Klock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,053
- Two or more races4.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klock
Klock 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
#12,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,413
-66 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 1,169 places
2020
#12,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,260
-153 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,616 | 2,479 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,785 | 2,413 | 0.82 | -66 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 1,169 places |
| 2020 | #12,996 | 2,260 | 0.76 | -153 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 211 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 Klock 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 | #12,785 | #12,996 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,413 | 2,260 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.76 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klock bearers went from 2,413 to 2,260 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,785 to #12,996.
FAQ
Klock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klock?
Name Census estimates that about 2,592 living Americans carry the surname Klock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,235 residents.
How common is Klock?
Klock ranks #12,996 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,260 people with the surname Klock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,592), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Klock.
Has Klock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klock went from 2,413 recorded bearers to 2,260. That is a decrease of 153 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,785 to #12,996.
What does the Census say about the background of Klock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klock, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Klock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,053 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Klock (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 Klock mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a clockmaker or locksmith. 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 Klock (0.76 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 Klock?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.