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

Kratz, 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 Kratz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kratz in America

Kratz is the 6490th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kratz surname appeared 5,231 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Kratz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kratz 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 Kratz

The surname Kratz originated in Germany during the medieval period, likely derived from the German word "Kratz," which means "claw" or "scratch." It is believed to have been initially used as a nickname for someone with a distinctive physical characteristic or occupation related to scratching or clawing.

The name Kratz first appeared in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, including German municipal archives and church registers. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Heidelberg Codex from 1392, which mentions a certain "Henrich Kratz" from the city of Worms.

In the 15th century, the name Kratz was particularly prevalent in the regions of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, where variations such as "Kratzsch," "Kratzer," and "Krätz" were also documented. Some notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johannes Kratz, a scholar and theologian from Erfurt who lived from 1455 to 1519, and Hans Kratz, a renowned goldsmith from Nuremberg who crafted intricate religious artifacts in the late 1400s.

As the Kratz family spread across Germany and neighboring regions, the name became associated with various place names, such as Kratzenburg and Kratzhausen. This further solidified the surname's geographic roots and contributed to its continued use over the centuries.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several distinguished individuals carried the Kratz surname, including Johann Kratz, a respected jurist and legal scholar from Frankfurt who lived from 1535 to 1612, and Wilhelm Kratz, a celebrated painter from Cologne who was active in the early 1600s and renowned for his religious artworks.

In the 18th century, the name Kratz gained prominence in the fields of academia and literature. Notable figures include Friedrich Kratz, a renowned German philosopher and professor at the University of Halle, who lived from 1723 to 1798, and Johann Michael Kratz, a prolific writer and poet from Ansbach, who was born in 1747 and published numerous works during his lifetime.

As the Kratz family continued to spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, the surname maintained its strong German heritage and became closely associated with the rich cultural and historical traditions of its birthplace.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kratz

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

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

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

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