Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2022

Klaus

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,245 Trend ↑ Rising 14%

A male given name from Ancient Greek, an alternative spelling of Claus.

Rank 2025
#2,245
among boys · ↑162 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
63
named Klaus · +9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 27,112
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
84 babies
All-time total
1,471
#4,004 all-time among boys
First recorded
1953
in Social Security records

Klaus popularity over time

1,471 babies have been named Klaus since 1953, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2022Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s 83 8 – #1,926
1960s 232 23 +180% #1,353
1970s 124 12 -47% #2,291
1980s 101 10 -19% #2,900
1990s 87 9 -14% #4,361
2000s 114 11 +31% #4,309
2010s 324 32 +184% #2,101
2020s (to 2025) 406 68 +109% #1,880

Where Klaus is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 65 0.04 outside top 500
2027 66 0.04 outside top 500
2028 68 0.04 outside top 500
2029 69 0.04 outside top 500
2030 70 0.04 outside top 500

The story of Klaus

Klaus is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,245 in 2025 with 63 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1953, 1,471 American babies have been named Klaus. Its peak came in 2022, when 84 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Klaus stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Klaus?

The median living Klaus is about 14 years old; half are between 5 and 49. An estimated 1,400 people named Klaus are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Klaus year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 63 #2,245
2024 58 #2,407
2023 65 #2,207
2022 84 #1,880
2021 77 #1,948
2020 59 #2,309
2019 69 #2,101
2018 43 #2,824
2017 54 #2,405
2016 26 #4,052
2015 39 #3,002
2014 26 #3,968
2013 28 #3,710
2012 9 #8,564
2011 12 #6,829
2010 18 #5,155
2009 16 #5,712
2008 12 #7,006
2007 14 #6,122
2006 16 #5,440
2005 10 #7,432
2004 – –
2003 10 #7,019
2002 – –
2001 18 #4,395
2000 18 #4,309
1995 6 #8,399
1990 10 #5,210
1985 12 #3,706
1980 16 #2,900
1975 7 #4,574
1970 16 #2,359
1965 27 #1,496
1960 21 #1,795
1955 6 #3,705
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Klaus

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski German actor (1926–1991) Contemporary
  2. 2 Klaus Barbie Klaus Barbie German SS officer and war criminal (1913–1991) Contemporary
  3. 3 Klaus Schwab Klaus Schwab Founder of the World Economic Forum (born 1938) Contemporary
  4. 4 Klaus Fuchs Klaus Fuchs German-born British physicist and atomic spy (1911–1988) Contemporary
  5. 5 Klaus Nomi Klaus Nomi German countertenor (1944–1983) Contemporary
  6. 6 Klaus Voormann Klaus Voormann German musician and artist (born 1938) Contemporary
  7. 7 Klaus Maria Brandauer Klaus Maria Brandauer Austrian actor and director b. 1943 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Klaus Iohannis Klaus Iohannis President of Romania from 2014 to 2025 b. 1959 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Klaus Mann Klaus Mann German writer and dissident (1906–1949) Contemporary
  10. 10 Klaus Schulze Klaus Schulze German composer and musician (1947–2022) Contemporary
  11. 11 Klaus Badelt Klaus Badelt German composer (born 1967) Contemporary
  12. 12 Klaus Teuber Klaus Teuber German board game designer (1952–2023) Contemporary
  13. 13 Klaus Augenthaler Klaus Augenthaler German football player and manager b. 1957 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Klaus Allofs Klaus Allofs German football player and executive (born 1956) Contemporary
  15. 15 Klaus Fischer Klaus Fischer German footballer and manager (born 1949) Contemporary
  16. 16 Klaus Toppmöller German footballer and manager b. 1951 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Klaus Wowereit Klaus Wowereit German politician b. 1953 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Klaus Roth Klaus Roth British mathematician (1925–2015) Contemporary
  19. 19 Klaus von Klitzing Klaus von Klitzing German physicist (born 1943) Contemporary
  20. 20 Klaus Kinkel Klaus Kinkel Chairman of the FDP 1936–2019 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Klaus, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Klaus?

The median living Klaus is about 14 years old. Half of all living Klauss are between 5 and 49 years old.

How many people named Klaus are alive today?

An estimated 1,400 people named Klaus are alive in the United States, based on 1,471 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Klaus mean?

A male given name from Ancient Greek, an alternative spelling of Claus.

How popular is the name Klaus in 2025?

Klaus ranked #2,245 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 63 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Klaus?

1,471 babies have been named Klaus in the United States since 1953, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Klaus most popular?

Klaus peaked in 2022, when 84 newborns received the name.

Is Klaus a boy or girl name?

Klaus is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Klaus rising or falling?

Klaus is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Klaus become more popular?

Klaus is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 70 boys named Klaus in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Klaus?

Well-known people named Klaus include Klaus Kinski (actor), Klaus Barbie (military personnel), Klaus Schwab (economist).

Names like Klaus

Names that sound and feel close to Klaus: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Klaus with similar names → More names starting with K →