2000
#12,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,241
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Klos
A Dutch and German occupational surname referring to a person who made wooden clogs or shoes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,405 Americans carry the last name Klos. That puts it at #13,803 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,517 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klos 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Klos with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 142,517
Census rank
#13,803
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,097 bearers of the surname Klos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13803rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klos, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klos
The surname KLOS has its origins in Poland, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Polish word "klos," which means "ear of grain" or "spike." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked with grains or crops.
The earliest recorded instance of the KLOS surname can be found in the Polish town of Kłos, located in the Lublin region. It is believed that the name first emerged in this area, and individuals may have adopted the name based on their association with this particular town or its surrounding villages.
In the 15th century, the KLOS surname appeared in various historical records and documents, including church registers and land deeds. One notable example is the mention of a certain Jan KLOS in the records of the city of Krakow, dated 1492.
As the name spread throughout Poland, it also underwent several variations in spelling, such as KŁOS, KŁOSS, and KLOSS. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the way the name was pronounced in different areas.
Throughout history, several individuals with the KLOS surname have achieved notable recognition. For example, Jakub KLOS (1490-1562) was a renowned Polish scholar and humanist who made significant contributions to the field of education and literature.
Another notable figure was Andrzej KLOS (1638-1701), a Polish military commander who played a crucial role in the Polish-Ottoman War and the defense of Vienna against the Ottoman Empire in 1683.
In the 19th century, Karol KLOS (1809-1888) was a prominent Polish painter and artist known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Poland.
Towards the end of the 19th century, Józef KLOS (1868-1949) was a Polish politician and member of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, who advocated for workers' rights and social reforms.
In more recent times, Dariusz KLOS (born 1968) is a Polish football player and manager who has represented the Polish national team and played for several clubs in Poland and abroad.
While the KLOS surname is predominantly found in Poland, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in Polish culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klos
Among Census respondents with the surname Klos, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Klos 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 Klos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 1,851
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 160
- Two or more races2.1% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 25
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klos
Klos 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
#12,504
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,479
+238 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 153 places
2020
#13,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,097
-382 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 1,299 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,657 | 2,241 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,504 | 2,479 | 0.84 | +238 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 153 places |
| 2020 | #13,803 | 2,097 | 0.70 | -382 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 1,299 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 Klos 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 | #12,504 | #13,803 | -10.4% |
| Count | 2,479 | 2,097 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.70 | -16.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klos bearers went from 2,479 to 2,097 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 1,299 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,504 to #13,803.
FAQ
Klos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klos?
Name Census estimates that about 2,405 living Americans carry the surname Klos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,517 residents.
How common is Klos?
Klos ranks #13,803 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,097 people with the surname Klos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,405), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Klos.
Has Klos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klos went from 2,479 recorded bearers to 2,097. That is a decrease of 382 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,504 to #13,803.
What does the Census say about the background of Klos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klos, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Klos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (1,851 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (7.6%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Klos (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 Klos mean?
A Dutch and German occupational surname referring to a person who made wooden clogs or shoes. 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 Klos (0.70 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 Klos?
Find out how many people are called Klos on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.