2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Krefting
An occupational surname referring to an innkeeper or tavern owner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 150 Americans carry the last name Krefting. That puts it at #133,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,285,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krefting 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
150
1 in 2,285,029
Census rank
#133,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
131
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 131 bearers of the surname Krefting in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 133930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krefting, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krefting
The surname Krefting originated in Norway and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "krefta," which means "to demand or require." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was known for being particularly demanding or assertive.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Krefting surname can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian historical documents dating back to the 12th century. In this collection, a person named "Krefting Eriksson" is mentioned in a document from the year 1289.
During the Middle Ages, the Krefting family was particularly prominent in the region of Trøndelag, which is located in central Norway. The name is often associated with the town of Levanger, where several prominent Kreftings lived and held positions of influence.
In the 16th century, a man named Olav Krefting (1520-1585) served as the mayor of Trondheim, which was one of Norway's most important cities at the time. He was known for his skills as a diplomat and played a key role in negotiations between Norway and Denmark.
Another notable Krefting was Hans Krefting (1647-1718), a Norwegian military officer who served in the Danish-Norwegian army during the Great Northern War. He rose to the rank of colonel and was awarded several honors for his bravery in battle.
In the 19th century, Jens Krefting (1815-1891) was a prominent Norwegian politician and lawyer. He served as the Minister of Justice and the Police for several years and was also a member of the Norwegian Parliament.
One of the most famous Kreftings in recent history was the Norwegian explorer and scientist Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930). Although his surname was Nansen, his mother's maiden name was Krefting, and he was a descendant of the family from Trøndelag.
Throughout history, the Krefting surname has been associated with various place names and locations in Norway, such as Krefting Farm, Kreftingsåsen, and Kreftingshaugen. These names likely originated from individuals or families bearing the Krefting surname who lived in or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krefting
Among Census respondents with the surname Krefting, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Krefting 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 Krefting surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 124
- Two or more races3.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krefting
Krefting 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+14 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,631 places
2020
#133,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+3 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,724 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 3,631 places |
| 2020 | #133,930 | 131 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 1,724 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 Krefting 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 | #132,206 | #133,930 | -1.3% |
| Count | 128 | 131 | 2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krefting bearers went from 128 to 131 (+2.3% change). The surname moved down 1,724 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #133,930.
FAQ
Krefting surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krefting?
Name Census estimates that about 150 living Americans carry the surname Krefting. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,285,029 residents.
How common is Krefting?
Krefting ranks #133,930 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 131 people with the surname Krefting. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (150), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Krefting.
Has Krefting become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krefting went from 128 recorded bearers to 131. That is an increase of 3 (+2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #133,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Krefting?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krefting, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Krefting in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krefting appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.5%). 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 Krefting (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 Krefting mean?
An occupational surname referring to an innkeeper or tavern owner. 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 Krefting (0.04 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 share the surname Krefting?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.