Find out how popular the last name Krenz is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Krenz.

Krenz, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Krenz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Krenz in America

Krenz is the 17709th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Krenz surname appeared 1,584 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Krenz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Krenz to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Krenz

The surname KRENZ originated in Germany and dates back to the early 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "krenzen," which means "to wind or twist." This likely referred to an occupation or trade involving winding or twisting materials, such as ropes or textiles.

The earliest recorded instances of the name KRENZ can be found in historical documents from the region of Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany. In the late 14th century, a merchant named Hans Krenz was mentioned in the city records of Magdeburg. Around the same time, a farmer named Konrad Krenz was listed in the records of the village of Kalbe, near the city of Salzwedel.

By the 16th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, including Bavaria and Silesia. In 1587, a nobleman named Friedrich Krenz was recorded as the owner of a large estate in the town of Glogau (now Głogów, Poland). Another notable individual was Johann Krenz, a Lutheran theologian and author who lived from 1561 to 1632 in the city of Nuremberg.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, several members of the KRENZ family were involved in various trades and professions. In 1692, a merchant named Georg Krenz was mentioned in the records of the city of Leipzig. A century later, in 1798, a woodcarver named Hans Krenz was recorded as living in the town of Freiberg in Saxony.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname KRENZ was Egon Krenz, who was the last leader of East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He was born in 1937 in the town of Kolochau (now Kolochovice, Czech Republic) and served as the General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany from October to December 1989.

Another notable KRENZ was Wilhelm Krenz, a German actor and film director who lived from 1910 to 1991. He appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career, including the popular series "Tatort" in the 1970s and 1980s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Krenz

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Krenz.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Krenz was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Krenz has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Krenz was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Krenz, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!