2000
#10,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,920
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Kral
A surname of Czech origin meaning "king," derived from the Czech word "král."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,245 Americans carry the last name Kral. That puts it at #10,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,625 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kral 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kral with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 105,625
Census rank
#10,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,830 bearers of the surname Kral in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kral, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kral
The surname KRAL is of Czech and Slovak origin, deriving from the word "král" which means "king" in both languages. It is believed to have originated in the 13th or 14th century as a descriptive surname, likely given to someone with a regal or noble bearing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bohemian city of Plzen (Pilsen) in the late 14th century. A man named Jakub KRAL is mentioned in a municipal record from 1387 regarding a land dispute.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various forms such as KRALL, KRAEL, and KRAWL in various parts of Bohemia and Moravia, indicating regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
The KRAL surname is also found in historical records from the neighboring regions of Silesia and Lusatia, which had close cultural ties to Bohemia and Moravia. A notable example is Hans KRAL, a Protestant reformer and hymn writer from Lusatia, who lived from 1504 to 1567.
In the 16th century, the KRAL surname spread further across Central Europe, with instances recorded in Poland, Hungary, and even as far as Prussia (modern-day Germany and Poland). One notable figure from this period is Jan KRAL, a Czech astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1523 to 1565.
As the centuries progressed, the KRAL surname continued to be found throughout the Czech lands, Slovakia, and other parts of Central Europe. Significant bearers of the name include Václav KRAL (1671-1729), a Czech architect and builder, and Josef KRAL (1803-1878), a Czech writer and playwright.
Other notable individuals with the surname KRAL include Oldrich KRAL (1880-1942), a Czech painter and illustrator, and Vítezslav KRAL (1909-1990), a Czech architect and urban planner. In more recent times, Petr KRAL (born 1942) is a renowned Czech composer and conductor.
While the KRAL surname originated in the Czech and Slovak lands, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its roots and historical significance remain firmly tied to its Central European origins and the Czech and Slovak cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kral
Among Census respondents with the surname Kral, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kral 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 Kral surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,604
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 97
- Two or more races2.9% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 28
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kral
Kral appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,112
+192 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 210 places
2020
#10,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,830
-282 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 414 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,142 | 2,920 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,352 | 3,112 | 1.05 | +192 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 210 places |
| 2020 | #10,766 | 2,830 | 0.95 | -282 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 414 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 Kral 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 | #10,352 | #10,766 | -4.0% |
| Count | 3,112 | 2,830 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.95 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kral bearers went from 3,112 to 2,830 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 414 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,352 to #10,766.
FAQ
Kral surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kral?
Name Census estimates that about 3,245 living Americans carry the surname Kral. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,625 residents.
How common is Kral?
Kral ranks #10,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,830 people with the surname Kral. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,245), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kral.
Has Kral become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kral went from 3,112 recorded bearers to 2,830. That is a decrease of 282 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,352 to #10,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Kral?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kral, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Kral in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,604 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kral appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Kral (2000, 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 Kral mean?
A surname of Czech origin meaning "king," derived from the Czech word "král." 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 Kral (0.95 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 share the surname Kral?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.