2000
#4,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,815
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.53
Rare Last name
Krauss
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname referring to someone with curly hair, derived from the German word "kraus" meaning "curly."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,449 Americans carry the last name Krauss. That puts it at #5,193 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,013 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krauss 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 Krauss with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.4K
1 in 46,013
Census rank
#5,193
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,496 bearers of the surname Krauss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5193rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krauss, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krauss
The surname Krauss has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 12th century. The name is derived from the German word "kraus," which means "curly" or "crisp," likely referring to a person's physical appearance or hair texture. It was not uncommon for surnames to originate from descriptive nicknames in medieval times.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Krauss can be found in various German records and chronicles from the 13th century. One notable example is the mention of a knight named Heinrich Krauss in the Annals of Strasbourg, dating back to 1265. This suggests that the name had already gained some prominence among the nobility during that era.
In the 14th century, the Krauss surname appeared in several medieval manuscripts, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, which contained legal documents and charters from the region of Saxony. This indicates that the name had spread across different parts of Germany.
As the name gained popularity, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as Kraus, Krauss, and Krausse. These differences were often due to regional dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Krauss surname was Johann Krauss (1553-1613), a German theologian and author from Saxony. He was renowned for his works on biblical exegesis and his contributions to the field of Protestant theology.
Another notable figure was Samuel Krauss (1866-1948), an Austro-Hungarian rabbi, and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Jewish folklore and literature. His extensive research on Jewish traditions and culture influenced numerous academics in the field.
During the 19th century, the Krauss surname gained further prominence with the rise of several influential figures. One such individual was Ferdinand Krauss (1779-1857), a German composer and music theorist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Württemberg.
Additionally, Karl Friedrich Philipp von Krauss (1796-1846) was a German botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of southern Africa. His expeditions and discoveries led to the naming of several plant species in his honor.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Krauss surname has also been associated with the German-American brewing industry. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several prominent breweries in the United States were founded or operated by individuals with the Krauss name, including the Christian Krauss Brewing Company in Philadelphia and the Krauss Brewing Company in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krauss
Among Census respondents with the surname Krauss, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Krauss 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 Krauss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 5,984
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 243
- Two or more races2.3% · 152
- Black or African American0.9% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krauss
Krauss 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
#5,097
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,865
+50 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.33
Rank movement Down 339 places
2020
#5,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,496
-369 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,758 | 6,815 | 2.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,097 | 6,865 | 2.33 | +50 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 339 places |
| 2020 | #5,193 | 6,496 | 2.17 | -369 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 96 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 Krauss 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 | #5,097 | #5,193 | -1.9% |
| Count | 6,865 | 6,496 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.33 | 2.17 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krauss bearers went from 6,865 to 6,496 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,097 to #5,193.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Krauss
FAQ
Krauss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krauss?
Name Census estimates that about 7,449 living Americans carry the surname Krauss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,013 residents.
How common is Krauss?
Krauss ranks #5,193 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.17 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 6,496 people with the surname Krauss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,449), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.17 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 Krauss.
Has Krauss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krauss went from 6,865 recorded bearers to 6,496. That is a decrease of 369 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,097 to #5,193.
What does the Census say about the background of Krauss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krauss, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Krauss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (5,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krauss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Krauss (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 Krauss mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname referring to someone with curly hair, derived from the German word "kraus" meaning "curly." 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 Krauss (2.17 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 Krauss?
Find out how many people have the last name Krauss on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.