2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kremmel
A German surname derived from the word "kram," meaning a small business or trading establishment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Kremmel. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kremmel 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Kremmel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kremmel, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kremmel
The surname Kremmel is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "krimil," which means "bent" or "crooked," possibly referring to a physical characteristic or occupation of the earliest bearers of the name.
One of the earliest known records of the Kremmel surname can be found in the medieval German town of Nuremberg, where a certain Hainrich Kremmel was documented in the year 1312. This early mention suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, the Kremmel name appeared in various historical documents, including church records and municipal registers, in areas such as Bavaria and Saxony. Some notable individuals from this period include Johannes Kremmel, a respected scholar and theologian born in Regensburg in 1472, and Hanz Kremmel, a renowned artisan and metalworker from Leipzig, who lived from 1498 to 1567.
As the centuries passed, the Kremmel name spread across different regions of Germany and beyond. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in the Alsace region of France, where the name was sometimes spelled "Kremel" or "Kremmel."
One of the most prominent figures bearing the Kremmel surname was Wilhelm Kremmel, a German philosopher and writer born in Cologne in 1827. His works on ethics and social theory gained significant recognition during his lifetime, and he is credited with influencing subsequent generations of thinkers.
In the 19th century, the Kremmel name also found its way to the United States, carried by German immigrants seeking new opportunities. One such individual was Johann Kremmel, who arrived in New York City in 1852 and later settled in Pennsylvania, where he established a successful farming operation.
Another notable bearer of the Kremmel surname was Karl Kremmel, a German-born artist and painter who lived from 1875 to 1947. His landscape paintings and portraits captured the beauty of the German countryside and were widely admired during his lifetime.
Over the centuries, the Kremmel surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artisans, farmers, and artists, contributing to the rich tapestry of German and European cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kremmel
Among Census respondents with the surname Kremmel, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Kremmel 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 Kremmel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.3% · 99
- Two or more races8.6% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kremmel
Kremmel 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-15 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 24,975 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+13 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 24,975 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 12,206 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 Kremmel 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 | #157,234 | #145,028 | 7.8% |
| Count | 103 | 116 | 12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kremmel bearers went from 103 to 116 (+12.6% change). The surname moved up 12,206 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #145,028.
FAQ
Kremmel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kremmel?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Kremmel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Kremmel?
Kremmel ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Kremmel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Kremmel.
Has Kremmel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kremmel went from 103 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 13 (+12.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Kremmel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kremmel, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Kremmel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.3% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kremmel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.3%), Two or More Races (8.6%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Kremmel (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 Kremmel mean?
A German surname derived from the word "kram," meaning a small business or trading establishment. 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 Kremmel (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 are called Kremmel?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Kremmel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.