Klaus

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 12 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Klaus is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Portuguese given name68K records spelled Klaus4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, Spain, United States, Argentina

  Languages: Portuguese, Spanish

  Also written Klaüs, Klaùs

• Danish given name56K records spelled Klaus7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Denmark, Norway, United States, Sweden

  Languages: Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian

  Also written Klaūs, Klaüs

• French given name7.6K records spelled Klaus5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, Spain, United States, Belgium

  Languages: French, Catalan

  Also written Klaüs, Klãus, Klãùs

• a separate given name7.2K records spelled Klaus2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Switzerland, United Kingdom, India

  Also written Klâus

• Russian surname3.5K records spelled Klaus40 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Croatia

  Languages: Russian, Croatian, Ukrainian

  Also written Клаус, Кляус, Claus, Клавс, Clowes

• Albanian given name2.0K records spelled Klaus4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Albania, Italy, United States

  Also written Klaus️, Klauš, Klãûs

65 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Klaus is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In German, from Nikolaus, Greek 'victory of the people'

  as a name·Deutsche Namenkunde: Unsere Familiennamen nach ihrer Entstehung und Bedeutung

• In German, from the personal name Klaus, a reduced form of Nikolaus (see Nicholas).

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• In German, a male given name from Nikolaus

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In German, Patronym zu lat. Nicolaus / griech. Nikólaos 'Sieg' + 'Volk'; Karte zeigt Eintritt/Erhaltung von g, h, v, w in den Formen (z.B. Klawes, Klauw(e)s, Klagges).

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 2: Graphematik/Phonologie der Familiennamen II, Konsonantismus

• In German, Patronymische Kurzform zu Nikolaus (griech. níkē „Sieg“ + laós „(Kriegs-)Volk“); zeigt K-Schreibung im Anlaut; 7622 Träger.

  as a name·Deutscher Familiennamenatlas, Band 2: Graphematik/Phonologie der Familiennamen II, Konsonantismus

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

CL SRCEI — Nombres más comunes (guaguas, 1920–2021) — 91 years between 1929–2021. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Klaus Rothb. 1925GBBritish mathematician (1925–2015)
• Claus von Amsbergb. 1926DEnot in their usual nameConsort of the Netherlands (1980 - 2002)
• Klaus Kinskib. 1926DEGerman actor (1926–1991)
• Klaus Schwabb. 1938DEGerman economist, founder of World Economic Forum
• Klaus von Klitzingb. 1943DEGerman physicist
• Klaus Meineb. 1948DEGerman singer
• Klaus Allofsb. 1956DEGerman football player and executive
• Klaus Augenthalerb. 1957DEGerman football player and manager
• Klaus Johannisb. 1959ROPresident of Romania from 2014 to 2025
• Klaus Ebnerb. 1964ATAustrian writer

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 739 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Klaus?

We estimate roughly 21 thousand people bear Klaus (counting its spellings and scripts) across 9 countries in our records.

In which country does Klaus have the most bearers?

Klaus is most frequently recorded in Germany, where it is most often spelled klaus.

How common is Klaus compared with other names?

In Germany, Klaus is the 14th most common given name of 154,506 given names recorded there.

Is Klaus a male or female name?

Klaus is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Klaus mean?

Recorded meaning: Short German form of Nikolaus/Nicolas; 'victory of the people'.