2000
#28,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 781
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Very Rare Last name
Krane
A surname derived from the Germanic word "kran," meaning "crane" or "machine for lifting heavy objects."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 768 Americans carry the last name Krane. That puts it at #36,002 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 446,295 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krane 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
768
1 in 446,295
Census rank
#36,002
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
670
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 670 bearers of the surname Krane in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36002nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krane, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krane
The surname Krane is of German origin, deriving from the Old German word "kran," which means "crane" (the bird). This name likely originated as an occupational surname given to someone who worked with cranes, either as a crane operator or a person who dealt with the transportation or trade of the birds themselves.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Krane dates back to the 14th century in the German city of Hamburg. The name appeared in various records and manuscripts from that region during the medieval period, often spelled as "Kran" or "Crane."
In the 16th century, a notable individual named Hans Krane (1510-1578) was a prominent merchant and trader in the city of Nuremberg. He was known for his successful business dealings and his philanthropic efforts in supporting local orphanages and churches.
Another historical figure bearing the Krane surname was Johann Krane (1632-1703), a German cartographer and mapmaker from the town of Erfurt. His detailed maps of the German states and territories were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the advancement of cartography in Europe.
In the 19th century, a man named Friedrich Krane (1826-1891) was a renowned German philosopher and educator. He taught at several universities in Germany and published several influential works on ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics.
Moving to the 20th century, a notable individual named Helmut Krane (1912-1996) was a German-American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics. He worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II and later served as a professor at various universities in the United States.
Another individual of note is the American author and journalist, Amanda Krane (born 1965). She has written several critically acclaimed novels and non-fiction works exploring themes of identity, family, and social issues.
The name Krane has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Kranenburg, a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Kranichfeld, a municipality in the state of Thuringia. These place names likely derived from the same root word "kran," referring to the presence of cranes or crane-related activities in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krane
Among Census respondents with the surname Krane, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Krane 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 Krane surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 611
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 8
- Two or more races1.2% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krane
Krane 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
#34,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 647
-134 bearers (-17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 6,178 places
2020
#36,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 670
+23 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 1,124 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,700 | 781 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,878 | 647 | 0.22 | -134 bearers (-17.2%) | Down 6,178 places |
| 2020 | #36,002 | 670 | 0.22 | +23 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 1,124 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 Krane 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 | #34,878 | #36,002 | -3.2% |
| Count | 647 | 670 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.22 | 1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krane bearers went from 647 to 670 (+3.6% change). The surname moved down 1,124 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,878 to #36,002.
FAQ
Krane surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krane?
Name Census estimates that about 768 living Americans carry the surname Krane. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 446,295 residents.
How common is Krane?
Krane ranks #36,002 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 670 people with the surname Krane. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (768), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Krane.
Has Krane become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krane went from 647 recorded bearers to 670. That is an increase of 23 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,878 to #36,002.
What does the Census say about the background of Krane?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krane, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Krane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (611 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krane appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (6.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.2%). 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 Krane (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 Krane mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic word "kran," meaning "crane" or "machine for lifting heavy objects." 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 Krane (0.22 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 common is the surname Krane?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Krane on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.