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

Kramer, 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 Kramer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kramer in America

Kramer is the 526th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kramer surname appeared 63,936 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 22 people would have the surname Kramer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kramer 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 Kramer

The surname Kramer has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "kram," which means a merchant or trader, particularly one who dealt in small goods or wares. The name likely originated in the regions of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kramer can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Petri Salisburgensis, a 9th-century manuscript from the Monastery of St. Peter in Salzburg, Austria. This suggests that the name was already in use during the Carolingian period.

In the 11th century, the name Kramer appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This indicates that individuals bearing the name had already migrated to England by that time.

Notable individuals with the surname Kramer throughout history include Hendrik Kramer (c. 1430-1505), a Dutch Renaissance painter known for his religious works; Matthias Kramer (1640-1718), a German Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Ingolstadt; and Johann Kramer (1676-1737), a German composer and organist active in the late Baroque period.

In the 19th century, Joseph Kramer (1806-1875) was an Austrian Catholic priest and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Vienna. Adolf Kramer (1832-1911) was a German industrialist and engineer who founded the Kramer Machine Factory, a leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Kramer was the American actor and comedian, Henny Kramer (1911-1973), known for his roles in films such as "The Apartment" and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."

While the surname Kramer has its roots in the German-speaking regions of Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, as a result of migration and immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kramer

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

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 Kramer 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 Kramer 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 Kramer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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