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Klepper Family History

Klepper Surname Meaning

East German (mainly Silesian): from a dialect variant of Klöpfer (see Klopfer). German: nickname for a gossip from Middle High German kleppern klappern ‘to blabber chatter gossip’.

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.

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’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Klepper family from?

You can see how Klepper families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Klepper family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Klepper families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 5 Klepper families living in Ontario. This was about 71% of all the recorded Klepper's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Klepper families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Klepper surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Klepper ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Klepper. 18% of Klepper men worked as a Farmer and 15% of Klepper women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Klepper were Truck Driver and Stenographer.

View Census Data for Klepper | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    18%
  • Salesman
    16%
  • Laborer
    11%
  • Truck Driver
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    15%
  • Clerk
    14%
  • Teacher
    13%
  • Stenographer
    7%

What Klepper family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 9,000 census records available for the last name Klepper. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Klepper census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Klepper

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Klepper. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Klepper immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Klepper. For the veterans among your Klepper ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Klepper military records

You've only scratched the surface of Klepper family history

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What is the average Klepper lifespan?

Between 1947 and 2004, in the United States, Klepper life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1960, and highest in 1995. The average life expectancy for Klepper in 1947 was 58, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Klepper

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Klepper ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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