2000
#4,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.65
Rare Last name
Kremer
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or shopkeeper, derived from the German word "Krämer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,439 Americans carry the last name Kremer. That puts it at #4,677 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,616 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kremer 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 Kremer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,616
Census rank
#4,677
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,359 bearers of the surname Kremer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4677th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kremer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kremer
The surname Kremer has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Krämer," which means "merchant" or "trader." This occupational surname was initially given to individuals who worked as merchants or traders, often traveling from town to town to sell their wares.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Kramer" or "Kremer" in various German regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. These variations in spelling were common in the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One of the earliest known references to the name Kremer can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a person named "Henricus Kremer" in the year 1187.
During the 13th century, the name Kremer appeared in various town records and chronicles, indicating its widespread use across German-speaking regions. For instance, the Annales Pragenses, a chronicle from Prague, mentions a "Johannes Kremer" in the year 1265.
Notably, the name Kremer is associated with several prominent individuals throughout history. One such figure was Johann Kremer (1510-1577), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of cartography. Another notable bearer of this surname was Wilhelm Kremer (1775-1855), a German philosopher and educator who played a pivotal role in the development of modern educational theories.
In the realm of literature, the name Kremer is associated with the German writer and poet Johann Baptist Kremer (1771-1824), who gained recognition for his works exploring themes of nature and rural life.
Another notable figure was the German artist and printmaker Georg Kremer (1846-1923), whose etchings and engravings captured the landscapes and daily life of his native Rhineland region.
The surname Kremer also found its way into the United States, where it was brought by German immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable American bearer of this surname was Rudolph Kremer (1869-1949), a successful businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Chicago.
While the surname Kremer has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by generations of individuals with diverse backgrounds and professions. Despite its humble occupational origins, the name has been borne by individuals who have left their mark in fields ranging from science and philosophy to art and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kremer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kremer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kremer 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 Kremer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 6,879
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 207
- Two or more races2.3% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 64
- Black or African American0.3% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kremer
Kremer 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
#4,554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,784
+624 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 2.64
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#4,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,359
-425 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,549 | 7,160 | 2.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,554 | 7,784 | 2.64 | +624 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #4,677 | 7,359 | 2.46 | -425 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 123 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 Kremer 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 | #4,554 | #4,677 | -2.7% |
| Count | 7,784 | 7,359 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.64 | 2.46 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kremer bearers went from 7,784 to 7,359 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 123 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,554 to #4,677.
FAQ
Kremer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kremer?
Name Census estimates that about 8,439 living Americans carry the surname Kremer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,616 residents.
How common is Kremer?
Kremer ranks #4,677 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,359 people with the surname Kremer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,439), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kremer.
Has Kremer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kremer went from 7,784 recorded bearers to 7,359. That is a decrease of 425 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,554 to #4,677.
What does the Census say about the background of Kremer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kremer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kremer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (6,879 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kremer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Kremer (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 Kremer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or shopkeeper, derived from the German word "Krämer." 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 Kremer (2.46 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 Kremer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.