Explore the Family Name Klepper
The meaning of Klepper
1. East German (mainly Silesian): from a dialect variant of Klöpfer (see Klopfer). 2. German: nickname for a gossip, from Middle High German kleppern, klappern ‘to blabber, chatter, gossip’. 3. German: from the rare Middle High German word klepper ‘knight’s horse’, probably originally a metonymic occupational name for someone who tended or bred such animals. From the 16th century, however, the term came to denote a low-grade horse, a ‘nag’, and also someone who castrated horses. 4. Jewish (Ashkenazic): occupational name for someone who called people to the synagogue by rattling a stick, from an agent derivative of Yiddish klepn ‘to stick’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Klepper in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Klepper has seen an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Klepper was ranked 13,925th most popular surname in the United States and had a count of 1,987 individuals. By 2010, the rank had improved to 13,509 with a count of 2,245 individuals - an increase of nearly 3% and 13% respectively. The proportion of people with the Klepper surname per 100,000 people also saw a slight increase from 0.74 to 0.76 during this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,925 | #13,509 | 2.99% |
| Count | 1,987 | 2,245 | 12.98% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.74 | 0.76 | 2.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Klepper
In terms of ethnicity, the Klepper surname is predominantly associated with those identifying as white, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, 95.32% identified as white which decreased slightly to 93.10% in 2010. Over the same decade, there were notable increases in the percentages of those identifying as being of two or more races (from 1.21% to 2.36%), Hispanic (from 1.91% to 2.58%), Black (from 0.30% to 0.45%), and American Indian and Alaskan Native (from 0.25% to 0.45%). The Asian/Pacific Islander community also saw a small growth from 1.01% to 1.07%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.32% | 93.1% | -2.33% |
| Hispanic | 1.91% | 2.58% | 35.08% |
| Two or More Races | 1.21% | 2.36% | 95.04% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.01% | 1.07% | 5.94% |
| Black | 0.3% | 0.45% | 50% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.25% | 0.45% | 80% |