2000
#44,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 451
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Krenn
A German surname derived from the word "kren", meaning horseradish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 619 Americans carry the last name Krenn. That puts it at #43,119 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 553,723 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krenn 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
619
1 in 553,723
Census rank
#43,119
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
540
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 540 bearers of the surname Krenn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43119th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krenn
The surname Krenn has its origins in the German language and is believed to have originated in the region of Austria. It is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "kren," which means "horseradish." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who cultivated or traded in horseradish.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Krenn can be traced back to the 14th century in Austria. In 1387, a document from the city of Vienna mentions a "Hanns Krenn," which is one of the earliest known examples of this surname.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the early modern period, the Krenn surname was primarily concentrated in the Austrian states, particularly in the regions of Styria, Carinthia, and Lower Austria. Some variations in spelling, such as "Kren" and "Krenn," were common during this time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Krenn surname was Sebastian Krenn, a prominent architect and stonemason from Styria, Austria. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings, including the Eggenberg Palace in Graz, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Another notable individual with the Krenn surname was Johann Baptist Krenn (1724-1793), an Austrian painter and fresco artist from Carinthia. His works can be found in various churches and monasteries throughout Austria and Germany.
In the 19th century, a prominent bearer of the Krenn surname was Karl Krenn (1825-1909), an Austrian politician and lawyer who served as the Mayor of Vienna from 1885 to 1888.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the Krenn surname was the Austrian composer and conductor Hans Krenn (1902-1977). He was known for his compositions for film and theater, as well as his work as a conductor with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
While the Krenn surname originated in Austria, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration and diaspora. However, its roots can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Austria, where it was initially an occupational surname associated with the cultivation or trade of horseradish.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krenn
Among Census respondents with the surname Krenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Krenn 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 Krenn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 506
- Two or more races3.9% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krenn
Krenn 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
#40,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 544
+93 bearers (+20.6%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 4,560 places
2020
#43,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 540
-4 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 2,858 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,821 | 451 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,261 | 544 | 0.18 | +93 bearers (+20.6%) | Up 4,560 places |
| 2020 | #43,119 | 540 | 0.18 | -4 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 2,858 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 Krenn 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 | #40,261 | #43,119 | -7.1% |
| Count | 544 | 540 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.18 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krenn bearers went from 544 to 540 (-0.7% change). The surname moved down 2,858 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,261 to #43,119.
FAQ
Krenn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krenn?
Name Census estimates that about 619 living Americans carry the surname Krenn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 553,723 residents.
How common is Krenn?
Krenn ranks #43,119 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 540 people with the surname Krenn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (619), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Krenn.
Has Krenn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krenn went from 544 recorded bearers to 540. That is a decrease of 4 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,261 to #43,119.
What does the Census say about the background of Krenn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Krenn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (506 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krenn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Krenn (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 Krenn mean?
A German surname derived from the word "kren", meaning horseradish. 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 Krenn (0.18 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 have the surname Krenn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.