2000
#6,369
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,922
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Kranz
A German occupational surname referring to a wreath maker or a garland maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,587 Americans carry the last name Kranz. That puts it at #6,662 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,349 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kranz 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
5.6K
1 in 61,349
Census rank
#6,662
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,872 bearers of the surname Kranz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6662nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kranz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kranz
The surname Kranz originates from Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "kranz," which means "wreath" or "garland." The name likely referred to someone who made or sold wreaths or worked with flowers.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts across different regions of Germany. For instance, a merchant named Hans Kranz was mentioned in a trade document from the city of Nuremberg in 1287.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the late 14th century, when a farmer named Konrad Kranz was listed in the village records of Bamberg, Bavaria, in 1374.
The name Kranz can also be linked to certain place names in Germany, such as Kranzberg, a town in Bavaria. This connection suggests that some individuals might have adopted the name based on their place of origin or residence.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Kranz. One example is Johann Kranz (1492-1567), a German humanist and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another prominent figure was Gottfried Kranz (1737-1809), a German philosopher and academic who taught at the University of Frankfurt.
In the 19th century, Wilhelm Kranz (1837-1917) was a German philologist and classical scholar known for his work on ancient Greek literature. Ernst Kranz (1859-1938) was a German architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin.
Additionally, the name Kranz has been associated with individuals in other fields, such as the German painter Karl Kranz (1858-1925), who was known for his landscape and genre paintings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kranz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kranz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kranz 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 Kranz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 4,569
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 139
- Two or more races2.5% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kranz
Kranz 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
#6,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,141
+219 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 220 places
2020
#6,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,872
-269 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,369 | 4,922 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,589 | 5,141 | 1.74 | +219 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 220 places |
| 2020 | #6,662 | 4,872 | 1.63 | -269 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 73 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 Kranz 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 | #6,589 | #6,662 | -1.1% |
| Count | 5,141 | 4,872 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.63 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kranz bearers went from 5,141 to 4,872 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,589 to #6,662.
FAQ
Kranz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kranz?
Name Census estimates that about 5,587 living Americans carry the surname Kranz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,349 residents.
How common is Kranz?
Kranz ranks #6,662 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,872 people with the surname Kranz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,587), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kranz.
Has Kranz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kranz went from 5,141 recorded bearers to 4,872. That is a decrease of 269 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,589 to #6,662.
What does the Census say about the background of Kranz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kranz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Kranz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (4,569 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kranz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Kranz (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 Kranz mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a wreath maker or a garland maker. 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 Kranz (1.63 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 have the surname Kranz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.