Claus
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from Dutch or from German [in turn from Ancient Greek]. From Dutch and German Claus, a contraction of Nicolaus (“Nicholas”). The spelling Klaus is from more modern German Klaus and other Germanic languages.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Claus (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Few babies have been given the name since 1998; it belongs mostly to older generations. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Men and boys |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 373 |
| 2000 | 392 |
| 2001 | 404 |
| 2002 | 426 |
| 2003 | 429 |
| 2004 | 432 |
| 2005 | 431 |
| 2006 | 440 |
| 2007 | 453 |
| 2008 | 455 |
| 2009 | 453 |
| 2010 | 439 |
| 2011 | 436 |
| 2012 | 429 |
| 2013 | 423 |
| 2014 | 419 |
| 2015 | 413 |
| 2016 | 405 |
| 2017 | 406 |
| 2018 | 399 |
| 2019 | 393 |
| 2020 | 381 |
Claus in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Claus.Hi! My name is Claus.
- Claus ringde och sa att han blir lite sen.Claus called and said he'll be a bit late.
- Jag ska fika med Claus i eftermiddag.I'm having coffee with Claus this afternoon.
- Claus mamma är lärare.Claus's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Claus mamma is Claus's mum. Because Claus already ends in s, nothing is added.
Related names and other spellings
More names
Questions about Claus
How do you pronounce Claus in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Claus in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Claus mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from Dutch or from German [in turn from Ancient Greek]. From Dutch and German Claus, a contraction of Nicolaus (“Nicholas”). The spelling Klaus is from more modern German Klaus and other Germanic languages.
How popular is Claus in Sweden?
Fewer than two babies of either sex were named Claus in 2022. In 2020, 381 people in Sweden had Claus as the first name they go by.
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.