2000
#8,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,445
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Kreger
Derived from the German word "krüger," meaning an innkeeper or tavern owner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,643 Americans carry the last name Kreger. That puts it at #9,744 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,086 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kreger 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
3.6K
1 in 94,086
Census rank
#9,744
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,177 bearers of the surname Kreger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9744th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kreger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kreger
The surname Kreger is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Krüger," which means "innkeeper" or "tavern owner." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked in the hospitality industry or owned a tavern.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kreger can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of various German regions, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. These records often mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Krüger, Kruger, and Kreger.
In the 17th century, a man named Johann Kreger (1624-1667) was noted as a prominent Lutheran theologian and author in Saxony, Germany. His works included theological treatises and commentaries on biblical texts.
During the 18th century, the name Kreger appeared in various genealogical records and parish registers across Germany. For example, Johannes Kreger (1709-1779) was a respected clockmaker and artisan in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, in the Palatinate region.
As people migrated from Germany to other parts of Europe and the Americas, the name Kreger spread to new regions. In the late 18th century, a man named Wilhelm Kreger (1760-1832) was recorded as a skilled woodcarver and furniture maker in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
Another notable figure was Carl Kreger (1825-1903), a German-born architect and civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of several important buildings and infrastructure projects in New York City during the latter half of the 19th century.
While the surname Kreger has its roots in Germany, it has since been found in various parts of the world, including other European countries, North America, and beyond, carried by families who have migrated and settled in new regions over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kreger
Among Census respondents with the surname Kreger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kreger 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 Kreger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,923
- Two or more races3.1% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 28
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kreger
Kreger 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
#8,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,111
+666 bearers (+19.3%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 714 places
2020
#9,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,177
-934 bearers (-22.7%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 1,689 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,769 | 3,445 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,055 | 4,111 | 1.39 | +666 bearers (+19.3%) | Up 714 places |
| 2020 | #9,744 | 3,177 | 1.06 | -934 bearers (-22.7%) | Down 1,689 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 Kreger 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 | #8,055 | #9,744 | -21.0% |
| Count | 4,111 | 3,177 | -22.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.06 | -23.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kreger bearers went from 4,111 to 3,177 (-22.7% change). The surname moved down 1,689 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,055 to #9,744.
FAQ
Kreger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kreger?
Name Census estimates that about 3,643 living Americans carry the surname Kreger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,086 residents.
How common is Kreger?
Kreger ranks #9,744 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,177 people with the surname Kreger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,643), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Kreger.
Has Kreger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kreger went from 4,111 recorded bearers to 3,177. That is a decrease of 934 (-22.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,055 to #9,744.
What does the Census say about the background of Kreger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kreger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kreger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,923 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kreger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kreger (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 Kreger mean?
Derived from the German word "krüger," meaning 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 Kreger (1.06 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 Americans have the surname Kreger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.