Find out how popular the last name Krafft is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Krafft.

Krafft, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Krafft surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Krafft in America

Krafft is the 21553rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Krafft surname appeared 1,211 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Krafft.

We can also compare 2010 data for Krafft to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Krafft

The surname Krafft originated in Germany and is derived from the German word "kraft," meaning strength or power. It is believed to have first appeared in the 13th century and was likely an occupational name given to someone with exceptional physical strength or a person who worked in a job that required great physical exertion.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Krafft surname can be found in the "Bürgermatrikel" (Citizen Registry) of the city of Mainz, Germany, dating back to 1411. The entry lists a certain "Hans Krafft" as a citizen of the city.

In the 15th century, the Krafft surname appeared in various historical records across different regions of Germany, such as the "Lehnsbücher" (Feudal Records) of the Rhine region, where a "Gerhard Krafft" was mentioned as a landowner in the year 1467.

The city of Nuremberg, Germany, was home to several notable individuals with the Krafft surname during the Renaissance period. Adam Krafft (1437-1509) was a renowned sculptor and stonemason who created various works of art for churches and buildings in Nuremberg. His son, Veit Krafft (1475-1533), followed in his footsteps and became a skilled sculptor and woodcarver.

In the 17th century, Johann Christoph Krafft (1647-1720) was a German Baroque painter and etcher who worked in Augsburg and Vienna. His works, which included religious paintings and portraits, were highly regarded during his lifetime.

Another notable bearer of the Krafft surname was Johann Peter Krafft (1780-1856), a German writer, poet, and playwright from Brittau, Silesia (now part of Poland). He was known for his works that focused on the lives of common people and the struggles they faced.

As the Krafft surname spread across Germany and other parts of Europe, various spelling variations emerged, such as Kraft, Krafft, and Kraffte. Some of these variations were also influenced by regional dialects or local pronunciations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Krafft

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Krafft.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Krafft was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Krafft has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Krafft was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Krafft, please contact us.

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