2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Krelle
A surname of German origin possibly referring to someone who made or sold kerchiefs or handkerchiefs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Krelle. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krelle 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 Krelle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Krelle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krelle
The surname Krelle is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "krell," which means "curly" or "wavy." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with curly hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Krelle can be found in the German town of Braunschweig, where a person named Johannes Krelle was mentioned in a document dated 1437. This indicates that the name was already in use by the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the surname Krelle appeared in various records across Germany, including the town of Nürnberg, where a man named Hans Krelle was recorded as a citizen in 1532. Around the same time, in 1548, a person named Peter Krelle was listed as a resident of the town of Augsburg.
During the 17th century, the name Krelle started to spread to other regions of Europe. In 1612, a man named Christoph Krelle was born in the Polish city of Gdańsk (then known as Danzig). He later became a prominent merchant and trader, contributing to the city's economic growth.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Krelle was Johann Wilhelm Krelle, a German composer and organist who lived from 1642 to 1712. He is particularly known for his work in the city of Weimar, where he served as the court organist for several years.
In the 18th century, the name Krelle continued to appear across various parts of Germany and neighboring countries. For instance, a man named Friedrich Krelle was born in the town of Göttingen in 1723. He later became a respected scholar and published several works on mathematics and physics.
As the surname Krelle spread throughout Europe, it also underwent some variations in spelling. In some regions, it was written as "Krelle," while in others, it appeared as "Krellé," "Krelleh," or "Krellé." Despite these variations, the name retained its core meaning and connection to its German origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krelle
Among Census respondents with the surname Krelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Krelle 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 Krelle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krelle
Krelle appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,030 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 4,030 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 Krelle 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 | #159,712 | #155,682 | 2.5% |
| Count | 101 | 100 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krelle bearers went from 101 to 100 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,030 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #155,682.
FAQ
Krelle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krelle?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Krelle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Krelle?
Krelle ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Krelle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Krelle.
Has Krelle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krelle went from 101 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Krelle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Krelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krelle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Krelle (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 Krelle mean?
A surname of German origin possibly referring to someone who made or sold kerchiefs or handkerchiefs. 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 Krelle (0.03 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 are called Krelle?
You can see how many people are called Krelle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.