# Klein (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/klein/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from German, equivalent to English Small.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | German |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 81,471 |
| US rank (2010) | 392 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,790 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.2% (79,685 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /klaɪn/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Borrowed from German Klein.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Klein in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 95% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
| Two or more races | 1.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Klein in the United States, Austria, the United Kingdom, France, the Kingdom of Denmark and Belgium.

## People named Klein

- Calvin Klein, American fashion designer (born 1942)
- Melanie Klein, British Austrian born psychoanalyst (1882–1960)
- Lawrence Klein, American economist (1920-2013)
- Yves Klein, 20th century French visual artist (1928–1962)
- Chris Klein, American actor
- Allen Klein, American businessman, music publisher (1931–2009)
- William Klein, American photographer-filmmaker (1926–2022)
- Ezra Klein, American journalist
- Steven Klein, American photographer
- Fritz Klein, American psychiatrist and LGBT activist (1932-2006)
- Robert Klein, American stand-up comedian
- Jesper Klein, actor and film director (1944-2011)

and 19 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Kline, Killen, Killeen, Kaelin, Kalina, Kleine, Kalin, Keelin, Klem, Klim, Killian, Kellum.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.