2000
#84,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 205
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Kluber
A surname of German origin referring to a club-maker or club-wielder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 222 Americans carry the last name Kluber. That puts it at #99,694 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,543,938 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kluber 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
222
1 in 1,543,938
Census rank
#99,694
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
194
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 194 bearers of the surname Kluber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 99694th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kluber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kluber
The surname KLUBER is of German origin, first appearing in records from the late 16th century in the region that is now modern-day Bavaria. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "kluba" or "kluben," which referred to a club or cudgel, suggesting that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who made or used clubs or staffs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a 1592 church registry from the town of Nuremberg, which lists a "Hans Kluber" as a local resident. Additionally, a 1613 tax record from the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber includes a "Georg Kluber" among its listed taxpayers.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread beyond Bavaria, with records showing individuals bearing the KLUBER surname in neighboring regions such as Saxony and Thuringia. One notable example is Johann Kluber (1638-1714), a Lutheran minister who served as the pastor of St. Michael's Church in the city of Erfurt.
As the centuries progressed, the KLUBER name continued to be found throughout various parts of Germany, with some variations in spelling emerging, such as "Kluber," "Kluber," and "Klüber." In the 19th century, a prominent figure with this surname was the German jurist and legal scholar Johann Ludwig Klüber (1762-1837), whose works on German civil law and legal theory were widely influential.
Another notable individual was the German sculptor and artist Wilhelm Klüber (1869-1949), whose works included several public monuments and sculptures in cities like Cologne and Berlin. More recently, Corey Kluber (born 1986) is a professional baseball player from the United States who has played for teams like the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees.
While the KLUBER surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration, with individuals bearing this name found in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kluber
Among Census respondents with the surname Kluber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kluber 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 Kluber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 177
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 7
- Black or African American1.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kluber
Kluber 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
#93,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 195
-10 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 8,953 places
2020
#99,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
-1 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 5,773 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #84,968 | 205 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #93,921 | 195 | 0.07 | -10 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 8,953 places |
| 2020 | #99,694 | 194 | 0.06 | -1 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 5,773 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 Kluber 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 | #93,921 | #99,694 | -6.1% |
| Count | 195 | 194 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kluber bearers went from 195 to 194 (-0.5% change). The surname moved down 5,773 positions in the national ranking, going from #93,921 to #99,694.
FAQ
Kluber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kluber?
Name Census estimates that about 222 living Americans carry the surname Kluber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,543,938 residents.
How common is Kluber?
Kluber ranks #99,694 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 194 people with the surname Kluber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (222), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Kluber.
Has Kluber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kluber went from 195 recorded bearers to 194. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #93,921 to #99,694.
What does the Census say about the background of Kluber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kluber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (1.5%). 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 Kluber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (177 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kluber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (1.5%). 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 Kluber (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 Kluber mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a club-maker or club-wielder. 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 Kluber (0.06 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 last name Kluber?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Kluber on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.