Fun Facts About the Name Klein
- 370 babies named Klein: U.S. records list 370 babies given the name Klein from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Klein Mean?
Klein is a German and Yiddish name meaning "small" or "little." It comes from Middle High German kleine and Old High German kleini, an adjective whose older sense was closer to "fine, delicate, or pure" before it settled into the meaning "small." The English word clean is a cognate: both go back to a Proto-Germanic root *klainiz, with English keeping the sense of purity and German shifting to the sense of size. Yiddish קליין (kleyn), the form used by Ashkenazi Jews, descends from the same Middle High German word and means the same thing. The identical word also exists in Dutch and Afrikaans as klein, meaning "small," which is why the name appears in Dutch-speaking as well as German-speaking populations. As a surname, Klein usually began as a nickname for a person of short stature, or as a distinguishing name for a younger or lesser namesake.
Klein Name History & Origins
The adjective behind the name is old in Germanic speech. Old High German kleini carried senses of "fine, delicate, and pure" as well as "small," and by the Middle High German period kleine or klein was the ordinary word for "small." From that adjective, German-speaking communities formed a byname for someone small or young, and the byname became hereditary as surnames spread through German-speaking lands in the later Middle Ages.
Jewish communities in German-speaking Central Europe took the same word into Yiddish as kleyn (קליין), and Klein became one of the most widely distributed Ashkenazi surnames, later carried to the Americas and elsewhere through emigration. In the Netherlands and among Afrikaners, the Dutch and Afrikaans spelling klein has the same meaning and is likewise common in surnames.
Use of Klein as a personal name is comparatively recent and is a transferred use of the surname rather than an inherited given name from medieval German or Yiddish naming practice. Its appearance as a first name therefore follows the general pattern by which surnames have been adopted as given names in English-speaking countries.
How Popular is the Name Klein?
Klein has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2013. Its best rank was #4,017 in 2013.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,506 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2024 | #6,313 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2023 | #5,807 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2022 | #6,337 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #5,905 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #9,172 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #5,066 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #5,218 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #5,953 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #6,952 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #5,415 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #7,884 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #4,017 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2012 | #6,180 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2011 | #10,279 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #9,285 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #10,512 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #8,035 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #7,384 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #13,138 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2005 | #9,680 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #9,214 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #8,104 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #5,877 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #9,782 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #9,370 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #6,601 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #7,740 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #7,595 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #9,666 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #7,241 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #7,679 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #7,958 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #4,428 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #6,005 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Klein Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Klein's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Klein's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.