2000
#932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,345
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.73
Uncommon Last name
Krause
A German occupational surname referring to someone with curly hair or a person of fine stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,428 Americans carry the last name Krause. That puts it at #1,058 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krause 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Krause with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,158
Census rank
#1,058
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,639 bearers of the surname Krause in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1058th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krause, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krause
The surname Krause originated in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "kraus," which means "curly" or "crisp," likely referring to someone with curly hair or a distinctive hairstyle. The name was initially used as a descriptive nickname before becoming an inherited surname.
The earliest known record of the name Krause can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is Johannes Krause, a landowner mentioned in a charter from 1295.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name Krause appeared in various records and manuscripts across different regions of Germany, including the Hanseatic League records from cities like Lübeck and Hamburg. It was particularly prevalent in the northern and central parts of the country.
In the 16th century, the Krause name gained prominence with notable individuals such as Martin Krause (1529-1603), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another notable figure was Johannes Krause (1553-1615), a German mathematician and astronomer who made contributions to the development of logarithms.
The 17th century saw the emergence of Johannes Krause (1624-1699), a German jurist and author who wrote extensively on legal matters. His works were widely referenced and influential in the field of law during that period.
In the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Krause (1737-1806) was a German philosopher and author who wrote on topics related to ethics and metaphysics. His works influenced the development of German idealism and were widely studied by scholars of his time.
Moving into the 19th century, Karl Christian Friedrich Krause (1781-1832) was a notable German philosopher and polymath who developed a philosophical system known as "Krausism." His ideas had a significant impact on Spanish and Latin American thought, particularly in the fields of education and social reform.
Throughout history, the surname Krause has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Krausnitz, Krausendorf, and Krausenhof, which were small towns or villages in different regions of Germany. These place names often reflected the presence of individuals with the Krause surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krause
Among Census respondents with the surname Krause, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Krause 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 Krause surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 30,005
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,114
- Two or more races2.9% · 932
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 298
- Black or African American0.6% · 185
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 105
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krause
Krause 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
#1,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,722
+377 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 11.77
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#1,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,639
-2,083 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 10.92
Rank movement Down 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #932 | 34,345 | 12.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,009 | 34,722 | 11.77 | +377 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #1,058 | 32,639 | 10.92 | -2,083 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 49 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 Krause 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 | #1,009 | #1,058 | -4.9% |
| Count | 34,722 | 32,639 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 11.77 | 10.92 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krause bearers went from 34,722 to 32,639 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,009 to #1,058.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Krause
FAQ
Krause surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krause?
Name Census estimates that about 37,428 living Americans carry the surname Krause. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,158 residents.
How common is Krause?
Krause ranks #1,058 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,639 people with the surname Krause. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,428), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Krause.
Has Krause become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krause went from 34,722 recorded bearers to 32,639. That is a decrease of 2,083 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,009 to #1,058.
What does the Census say about the background of Krause?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krause, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Krause in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (30,005 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krause appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Krause (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 Krause mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone with curly hair or a person of fine stature. 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 Krause (10.92 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 are called Krause?
Find out how many people have the surname Krause on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.