2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kraal
A surname derived from the Afrikaans word for an enclosure for livestock or people.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Kraal. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kraal surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Kraal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kraal, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kraal
The surname Kraal originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "kraal," which means "coral bead" or "glass bead." This name was likely given to someone who worked as a maker or seller of beads, particularly coral beads, which were highly valued at the time.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Kraal can be found in Dutch census records and church registers from the 1500s. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Jan Kraal, a merchant from Amsterdam who lived in the late 16th century and traded in coral beads and other precious goods.
As the Dutch established colonies and trading posts around the world, the surname Kraal spread to other regions. In the 17th century, there are records of individuals with the name Kraal living in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) and South Africa.
One notable bearer of the Kraal surname was Pieter Kraal, a Dutch explorer and cartographer who was born in 1620 and died in 1681. He is best known for his detailed maps of the Cape Colony in South Africa, where he spent many years exploring and documenting the geography and indigenous cultures.
Another significant figure with the surname Kraal was Johannes Kraal, a Dutch painter who lived from 1685 to 1753. He was known for his portraits and religious paintings, many of which can still be found in churches and museums in the Netherlands.
In the 19th century, the Kraal surname also appeared in the United States, likely brought by Dutch immigrants. One notable American with this name was William Kraal, a prominent businessman and philanthropist from New York City who lived from 1820 to 1892.
While the surname Kraal is not as common today as it once was, it still exists in various parts of the world, particularly in the Netherlands, South Africa, and the United States. Its origins can be traced back to the Dutch word for "coral bead," reflecting the occupations and trades of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kraal
Among Census respondents with the surname Kraal, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kraal bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kraal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 100
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kraal
Kraal appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,231 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kraal surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #150,452 | #147,221 | 2.1% |
| Count | 109 | 113 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kraal bearers went from 109 to 113 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,231 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #147,221.
FAQ
Kraal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kraal?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Kraal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Kraal?
Kraal ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Kraal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kraal.
Has Kraal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kraal went from 109 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Kraal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kraal, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kraal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kraal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (7.1%), Hispanic (3.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kraal (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kraal mean?
A surname derived from the Afrikaans word for an enclosure for livestock or people. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kraal (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Kraal?
Want to know how many people have the last name Kraal? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.