Klaus is a German, Dutch, Scandinavian, and Greek given name and surname. It originated as a short form of Nikolaus, a German form of the Greek given name Nicholas.
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Notable persons with the family name
Billy Klaus (1928–2006), American baseball player
Chris Klaus (born 1973), American entrepreneur
Felix Klaus (born 1992), German football player, son of Fred Klaus
Frank Klaus (1887–1948), German-American boxer, 1913 Middleweight Champion
Fred Klaus (born 1967), German football player and manager, father of Felix Klaus
Josef Klaus (1910–2001), Chancellor of Austria 1966–1970
Karl Ernst Claus (1796–1864), Russian chemist
Václav Klaus (born 1941), Czech politician, former President of the Czech Republic
Walter K. Klaus (1912–2012), American politician and farmer
Notable persons with the given name
Brother Klaus, Swiss patron saint
Klaus Augenthaler (born 1957), German football player and manager
Klaus Badelt (born 1967), German composer
Klaus Barbie (1913–1991), German SS-Hauptsturmführer and Holocaust Perpetrator
Klaus Bargsten (1911–2000), German captain and sole survivor of the sunken U-boat U-521 in World War II
Klaus Berntsen (1844–1927), Danish politician
Klaus Dede (1935–2018), German writer
Klaus Dibiasi (born 1947), Italian sports diver
Klaus Doldinger (1936–2025), German saxophonist and film music composer
Klaus Emmerich (director) (1943–2026), German film director and screenwriter
Klaus Emmerich (journalist) (1928–2021), Austrian journalist
Klaus Fischer (born 1949), German footballer
Klaus Flouride (born 1949), bassist of the Dead Kennedys
Klaus Fuchs (1911–1988), German theoretical physicist and atomic spy
Klaus Gerhart (born 1965), outdoorsman and photographer
Klaus Iohannis (born 1959), Romanian politician
Pen name
Klaus Maria Brandauer (born 1943), theatrical name of Klaus Georg Steng, Austrian actor
Characters
Klaus from Beyblade: Metal Masters
Klaus from Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Klaus from Mother 3
Klaus Baudelaire from A Series of Unfortunate Events
Klaus from Hotel Transylvania: The Series
Klaus Daimler from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Klaus Hargreeves from The Umbrella Academy
Klaus Heisler from American Dad!
Klaus Mikaelson from The Vampire Diaries and The Originals
Klaus von Wolfstadt from Maiden Rose
Baron Klaus Wulfenbach from Girl Genius
Klaus from Klaus
Klaus from Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach from From Eroica with Love
Klaus, the titular character from Forklift Driver Klaus – The First Day on the Job
Klaus from Don't Starve