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

Kraus, 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 Kraus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kraus in America

Kraus is the 1890th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kraus surname appeared 19,028 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Kraus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kraus 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 Kraus

The surname Kraus is of German origin, dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the German word "kraus," meaning "curly" or "crisp," and was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone with curly hair or a curly beard.

The earliest known record of the name Kraus can be found in the medieval German town of Würzburg, where a certain Henricus Kraus was mentioned in a document from 1192. Over the centuries, the name spread to various regions of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was the German theologian and Reformer, Johannes Kraus (1553-1616), who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement. Another historical figure with the surname Kraus was the Austrian composer and conductor, Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792), who was a contemporary of Mozart and considered one of the most important composers of the Classical era.

The name Kraus can also be found in various place names throughout Germany, such as Krauschwitz, a village in Saxony, and Krausnick, a town in Brandenburg. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

Other notable individuals with the surname Kraus include the German-American philosopher and social theorist, Karl Kraus (1874-1936), known for his satirical critiques of Austrian society and culture. The Austrian novelist and playwright, Karl Philipp Kraus (1892-1966), was another prominent figure who wrote several acclaimed works during the 20th century.

In the realm of science, the German physicist and Nobel laureate, Max Kraus (1854-1942), made significant contributions to the understanding of electrical conductivity in solutions, while the Austrian-American chemist, Walter Kraus (1884-1958), is recognized for his work on anion exchange resins and the development of ion exchange technology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kraus

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

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

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

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