2000
#10,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,863
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Kravitz
A Jewish surname derived from the Slavic word for "tailor," indicating the ancestral profession of the bearer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,875 Americans carry the last name Kravitz. That puts it at #11,929 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,219 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kravitz 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
2.9K
1 in 119,219
Census rank
#11,929
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,507 bearers of the surname Kravitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11929th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kravitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kravitz
The surname KRAVITZ is of Slavic origin, specifically from Eastern Europe. It is believed to have originated in the region of modern-day Poland and Ukraine during the late medieval period, around the 15th or 16th century.
The name KRAVITZ is derived from the Slavic word "kravets," which means "tailor" or "seamster." This suggests that the name was likely given to individuals or families who worked as tailors or in the clothing trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KRAVITZ can be found in Polish records from the 16th century. In these records, the name is spelled as "Krawiec," which is the Polish variation of the same root word.
While no specific historical figures with the surname KRAVITZ are widely known from ancient times, there are a few notable individuals who bore this name in more recent history. For example, Yefim Kravitz (1857-1938) was a Russian-born Jewish writer and journalist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Another notable person with the surname KRAVITZ was Lenny Kravitz (born 1964), an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for his unique blend of rock, funk, and soul music. His maternal grandparents were of Ukrainian Jewish descent, which likely explains the origin of his surname.
In terms of place names or older spellings, the name KRAVITZ may have been influenced by the Polish town of Krawieczyn, which is derived from the same root word meaning "tailor." However, there is no direct evidence linking the surname to this specific location.
Other notable individuals with the surname KRAVITZ include Zoë Kravitz (born 1988), an American actress and model, and the daughter of Lenny Kravitz; and Nellie Kravitz (1882-1972), a Russian-born American actress and singer active in the early 20th century.
Overall, the surname KRAVITZ has its roots in Slavic culture and language, with a strong connection to the tailoring and clothing trade in Eastern Europe during the late medieval and early modern periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kravitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Kravitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kravitz 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 Kravitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 2,268
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 113
- Two or more races2.8% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 27
- Black or African American0.9% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kravitz
Kravitz 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
#10,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,938
+75 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 525 places
2020
#11,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,507
-431 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 1,092 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,312 | 2,863 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,837 | 2,938 | 1.00 | +75 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 525 places |
| 2020 | #11,929 | 2,507 | 0.84 | -431 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 1,092 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 Kravitz 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 | #10,837 | #11,929 | -10.1% |
| Count | 2,938 | 2,507 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.84 | -16.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kravitz bearers went from 2,938 to 2,507 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 1,092 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,837 to #11,929.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kravitz
FAQ
Kravitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kravitz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,875 living Americans carry the surname Kravitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,219 residents.
How common is Kravitz?
Kravitz ranks #11,929 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,507 people with the surname Kravitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,875), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kravitz.
Has Kravitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kravitz went from 2,938 recorded bearers to 2,507. That is a decrease of 431 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,837 to #11,929.
What does the Census say about the background of Kravitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kravitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kravitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (2,268 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kravitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kravitz (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 Kravitz mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Slavic word for "tailor," indicating the ancestral profession of the bearer. 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 Kravitz (0.84 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 Kravitz?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Kravitz is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.