Klein Name Meaning & Klein Family History at Ancestry.com®

German Flemish and Jewish (Ashkenazic); Dutch (also De Klein): from Middle High German German Dutch klein ‘small’ or Yiddish kleyn. This was a nickname for a person of small stature but is also often found as a distinguishing name for a junior male usually a son in German names such as Kleinhans and Kleinpeter . The surname of German origin is also found in many other European countries notably in France (Alsace and Lorraine) Belgium Poland Hungary Czechia and Slovakia. It is often a German translation of corresponding Slavic surnames for example Czech and Slovak Malý (see Maly ). Compare Klain Klien and Kline .

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