2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kloempken
A surname derived from a diminutive form of the German word "Klump," meaning small lump or ball.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Kloempken. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kloempken 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Kloempken in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kloempken, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kloempken
The surname KLOEMPKEN has its origins in the German language and traces its beginnings to the late medieval period in northern Germany, particularly in the regions around the cities of Hamburg and Lübeck. It is believed to be derived from the Low German word "klump" or "klumpen," meaning a lump, clump, or mass, and may have been an occupational name referring to someone who worked with lumps or clumps of material, such as a baker or a potter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KLOEMPKEN can be found in the Hamburg Bürgerbuch (Citizen's Book) of 1487, which lists a certain Hinrich Kloempken as a resident of the city. The name also appears in various church records and legal documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in the surrounding areas, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Kloempken, Klömpken, or Klömpchen.
In the late 16th century, a family bearing the name KLOEMPKEN is recorded as having lived in the small village of Ahrensbok, near the Baltic Sea coast. Heinrich KLOEMPKEN (1562-1638), a farmer and landowner, is mentioned in local parish records as having donated land for the construction of a new church in the village.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several members of the KLOEMPKEN family held positions of prominence in the city of Lübeck. Joachim KLOEMPKEN (1620-1689) was a respected merchant and member of the city council, while his son, Johann KLOEMPKEN (1654-1718), served as a magistrate and judge in the Lübeck court system.
In the 19th century, the name KLOEMPKEN gained some literary recognition through the works of the German novelist and playwright, Friedrich KLOEMPKEN (1819-1892). Born in Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein, he wrote several popular plays and novels that depicted life in northern Germany during his time.
Another notable bearer of the surname was the Dutch-German painter and printmaker, Gerrit KLOEMPKEN (1875-1949), who was known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in the Netherlands and Germany. His works are held in several prominent art collections, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
While the surname KLOEMPKEN has its roots in northern Germany and may have originated as an occupational name, it has since become widely dispersed throughout other parts of Germany and beyond, with bearers of the name found in various countries around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kloempken
Among Census respondents with the surname Kloempken, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kloempken 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 Kloempken surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kloempken
Kloempken 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,804 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+11 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,758 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 14,804 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 11,758 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 Kloempken 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 | #159,712 | #147,954 | 7.4% |
| Count | 101 | 112 | 10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 24.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kloempken bearers went from 101 to 112 (+10.9% change). The surname moved up 11,758 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #147,954.
FAQ
Kloempken surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kloempken?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Kloempken. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Kloempken?
Kloempken ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Kloempken. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kloempken.
Has Kloempken become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kloempken went from 101 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 11 (+10.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Kloempken?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kloempken, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Kloempken in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kloempken appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Hispanic (1.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Kloempken (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 Kloempken mean?
A surname derived from a diminutive form of the German word "Klump," meaning small lump or ball. 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 Kloempken (0.04 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 share the surname Kloempken?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.