Strauss
An Old German name referring to the ostrich feather or plume.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Strauss. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Strauss today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Strauss births was 2006 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Strauss. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Strauss. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2006
5 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2006 SSA rank
#13,751
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Strauss: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Strauss by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Strauss during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Strauss
The name Strauss has its origins in the German language and refers to the Ostrich bird. It derives from the Middle High German word 'struz', which in turn comes from the Old High German 'struzzi', ultimately stemming from the Latin word 'struthio'.
In Medieval times, the name was likely associated with occupations related to the Ostrich feather trade or those who worked with these specialized feathers. It may have also been used as a nickname for someone with a tall, upright stature reminiscent of an Ostrich.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Strauss dates back to the 13th century, with a Richard Struz mentioned in records from the city of Cologne in 1270. Another early mention is found in a 14th-century manuscript from Nuremberg, which lists a Johannes Strauß among the city's residents.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Strauss. Johann Strauss Sr. (1804-1849) was an Austrian composer and violinist, known as the father of the Waltz. His son, Johann Strauss Jr. (1825-1899), was an even more famous composer who wrote numerous waltzes, including the iconic "The Blue Danube".
Another famous bearer of the name was Richard Strauss (1864-1949), a German composer who wrote operas, tone poems, and lieder. His works include the tone poems "Don Juan" and "Also Sprach Zarathustra", as well as the opera "Der Rosenkavalier".
Johann Strauss III (1866-1939) was a composer and son of Johann Strauss Jr., carrying on the family's musical legacy. He is best known for his waltzes and operettas, such as "Wildfeuer" and "Ritter Pasman".
Franz Strauss (1822-1905) was a German horn player and composer, known for his contributions to the horn repertoire and for being the father of the famous composer Richard Strauss.
People
Strauss + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Strauss as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Strauss: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Strauss?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Strauss going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Strauss a common name?
We classify Strauss as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Strauss most popular?
The single biggest year for Strauss was 2006, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Strauss is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Strauss in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Strauss a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Strauss in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Strauss still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Strauss in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Strauss can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Strauss?
You can see how many Americans are named Strauss on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.