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

Kreft, 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 Kreft surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kreft in America

Kreft is the 22056th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kreft surname appeared 1,175 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kreft.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kreft 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 Kreft

The surname Kreft is of German origin, derived from the Low German word "kreft," which means "strength" or "vigor." It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly around the areas of Saxony and Mecklenburg, sometime in the late medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kreft surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dated back to the 14th century. In this document, a certain "Henricus Kreft" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kreft name began to spread throughout various parts of Germany, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was Johann Kreft (1512-1588), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Germany.

Another notable figure was Christoph Kreft (1599-1666), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg. His compositions, primarily sacred works for the Lutheran church, were highly regarded during his time.

In the 18th century, the Kreft surname found its way into the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Krefft" or "Kreften." One prominent individual with this name was Jacob Krefft (1768-1831), a Dutch military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a lieutenant-general in the Dutch army.

As the Kreft family continued to migrate and settle in different parts of Europe, the name also appeared in various historical records and documents. For example, in the 19th century, a Johann Kreft is mentioned in the Prussian census records as a farmer residing in the village of Groß Schönebeck, near Berlin.

Another notable person with the Kreft surname was Gertrud Kreft (1892-1977), a German writer and poet who was part of the Expressionist literary movement in the early 20th century. Her works often explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition.

While the Kreft surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and migration patterns. However, the historical significance and origin of this name remain firmly rooted in the northern regions of Germany, where it first emerged as a reflection of strength and vigor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kreft

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

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

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

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