2000
#5,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,027
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Rare Last name
Klotz
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wooden clogs or blocks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,613 Americans carry the last name Klotz. That puts it at #5,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,830 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Klotz 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
6.6K
1 in 51,830
Census rank
#5,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,767 bearers of the surname Klotz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Klotz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Klotz
The surname KLOTZ originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "kloz," meaning "lump" or "block," which referred to a sturdy, solid person or object.
KLOTZ was initially a descriptive nickname given to individuals with a stocky or robust build. Over time, it evolved into a hereditary surname passed down through generations. The name was particularly prevalent in southern and central Germany, including regions like Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and Saxony.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname KLOTZ appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a man named Konrad Klotz is mentioned in a record from 1287.
In the 14th century, the KLOTZ surname is found in various medieval records and manuscripts, such as the Nuremberg Chronicle, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493. This suggests that the name had gained widespread recognition by that time.
Notable individuals with the surname KLOTZ include:
1. Hans Klotz (c. 1460-c. 1535), a German Renaissance sculptor and woodcarver known for his intricate altarpieces and religious sculptures.
2. Johann Klotz (1703-1771), a German architect and urban planner who designed several important buildings in Berlin, including the Berlin Cathedral.
3. Volker Klotz (1923-2018), a German literary scholar and critic who specialized in modern German literature and philosophy.
4. Arnold Klotz (1918-1997), an American biochemist and researcher known for his contributions to the study of protein folding and enzyme kinetics.
5. Ferdinand Klotz (1809-1854), a German-American poet and writer who emigrated to the United States and became a prominent figure in the German-American literary community.
The KLOTZ surname has also been associated with various place names and geographic locations over the centuries. For example, the town of Klotzsch (now part of Bautzen, Germany) was named after the Klotz family, who were once prominent landowners in the area. Additionally, the name is linked to other places like Klotzmühle, a former village in Bavaria, and Klotzgau, a town in Baden-Württemberg.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Klotz
Among Census respondents with the surname Klotz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Klotz 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 Klotz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 5,358
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 183
- Two or more races2.5% · 143
- Black or African American0.7% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Klotz
Klotz 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
#5,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,021
-6 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 431 places
2020
#5,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,767
-254 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,323 | 6,027 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,754 | 6,021 | 2.04 | -6 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 431 places |
| 2020 | #5,788 | 5,767 | 1.93 | -254 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 34 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 Klotz 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 | #5,754 | #5,788 | -0.6% |
| Count | 6,021 | 5,767 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.93 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Klotz bearers went from 6,021 to 5,767 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,754 to #5,788.
FAQ
Klotz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Klotz?
Name Census estimates that about 6,613 living Americans carry the surname Klotz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,830 residents.
How common is Klotz?
Klotz ranks #5,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,767 people with the surname Klotz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,613), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Klotz.
Has Klotz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Klotz went from 6,021 recorded bearers to 5,767. That is a decrease of 254 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,754 to #5,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Klotz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Klotz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Klotz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (5,358 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Klotz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Klotz (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 Klotz mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wooden clogs or blocks. 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 Klotz (1.93 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 Klotz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.