The Klassen surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,084 people carried this name — #8,121 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 72,500 people counted. That is up 12% from 3,645 in 2000.

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In Argentina’s national register

At least 198 people named Klassen live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Santiago del Estero.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Santiago del Estero 154
Buenos Aires Province 23
San Luis 21

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

89 people named Klassen live in Switzerland.

They live in 11 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 22
Thurgau 20
Basel-Stadt 12
Schwyz 7
Zug 5
Aargau 5
Lucerne 4
Vaud 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 55 people named Klassen live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Limburg.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Limburg 33
Liège 22

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Poland’s population register

52 people named Klassen have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 100 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 6 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lubusz.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Lubusz 16
Lower Silesian 14
Pomeranian 14
Greater Poland 4
Silesian 2
West Pomeranian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 39 people named Klassen.

13 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Moselle.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 13
Moselle 25
Aube 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In print

Klassen in American newspapers,
1903–1908.

Newspaper page from Indiana Tribüne carrying the name Klassen
Indiana Tribüne 1903-07-17
Newspaper page from Süd California Deutsche Zeitung carrying the name Klassen
Süd California Deutsche Zeitung 1908-04-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 53,859 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Klassen in Australian newspapers,
1880s–1950s.

121 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Klassen. The most, 27, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 4.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 99
Western Australia 6
New South Wales 5
South Australia 5
Victoria 2
ACT (Canberra) 1
Tasmania 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Klassen.

Who carried it

People named Klassen,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ben Klassen
    Ben Klassen 1918–1993 · politician
  • E. Klassen 1795–1862 · teacher
  • Josef Klassen 1885–1947 · writer
  • Cornelius F. Klassen 1894–1954 · human rights defender
  • Peter Klassen 1903–1989 · writer
  • Johannes Klassen 1904–1957 · church musician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Klassen,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States346 records

346 records of the Klassen name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 119
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 111
  • Other U.S. records 116
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Francis James Klassen

    Born 1947; from North Little Rock, Arkansas. U.S. Army, utility/observation helicopter pilot; died in an accident 1971 in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam. Buried at Little Rock National Cemetery, Arkansas.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Math Klassen

    Arrived at New York in 1887 aboard the Nederland from Antwerp, aged 28; tailor. From Lieberfeld, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Loyd J. Klassen

    Born 1925 in Colorado. Enlisted 1944 at Denver; farmer from Kit Carson County.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 346 records for Klassen in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Germany205 records

205 records of the Klassen name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Josef Klassen

    Born 1892; from Opladen, Cöln. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 4 January 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hermann Klaßen

    From Fischeln, Crefeld. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 16 May 1916 (Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 27).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Peter Klaßen

    From Oberbillig, Trier. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 28 February 1919.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 205 records for Klassen in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands194 records

194 records of the Klassen name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 77
  • Dutch population registers 61
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 56
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Catharina Klassen

    Married in 1902 in Maastricht; cleaning woman. Died 1951 in Maastricht, aged 75.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jacobus Klassen

    Born 1813 in Didam. Married in 1848 in Bergh; day labourer.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anna Mechtilde Klassen

    Married in 1929 in Kerkrade. Died 1958 in Kerkrade, aged 51.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Kerkrade (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 194 records for Klassen in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada172 records

172 records of the Klassen name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 78
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 38
  • Other Canadian records 56
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Eroca T. Klassen

    Buried in 1999 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 56.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record June May Klassen

    Died 1996, aged 44; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Peter Alfred Klassen

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 172 records for Klassen in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

France19 records

19 records of the Klassen name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gilberte Catherine Monique Klassen

    Born 1931 in Moyeuvre-Grande (Moselle); died 1980 in Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Roger Charles Pierre Klassen

    Born 1909 in Moulins-lès-Metz (Moselle); died 1998 in Niort (Deux-Sèvres).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Adele Denise Georgette Klassen

    Born 1928 in Rosselange; died 1997 in Hayange (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Klassen in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Australia3 records

3 records of the Klassen name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 2
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1
  1. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Jack Klassen

    Served in the First World War.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Klassen in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Klassen.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Klassen is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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