2000
#13,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,988
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Kresge
A German habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Kreis, meaning "district" or "circle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,146 Americans carry the last name Kresge. That puts it at #15,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,718 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kresge 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
2.1K
1 in 159,718
Census rank
#15,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,871 bearers of the surname Kresge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kresge, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kresge
The surname Kresge is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the 16th century. It is a locational name derived from the German word "Kresse," which means "cress" or "watercress," and likely referred to someone who lived near a watercress meadow or a place where watercress grew abundantly.
The earliest known record of the name Kresge can be traced back to the late 16th century in the German region of Baden-Württemberg. In 1586, a record mentions a Johann Kresge, a farmer from the village of Denkendorf.
As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, variations in spelling emerged, including Kreßge, Kressge, and Kresge. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the scribes who recorded the names.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Kresge was Johann Adam Kresge (1720-1788), a German immigrant to Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. He settled in Berks County and became a prominent landowner and farmer in the region.
In the 19th century, Sebastian S. Kresge (1867-1966) was born in Bald Mount, Pennsylvania. He later founded the Kresge Corporation, which became a major American retail chain known as Kmart. Sebastian Kresge is considered one of the most successful entrepreneurs with this surname.
Another notable figure was John Kresge (1853-1925), a Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1907 to 1914.
The name Kresge can also be found in historical records from other parts of Europe, such as France and England, where it was likely adopted by German immigrants or families with German ancestry. For example, John Kresge (1891-1966) was a British actor and playwright, while Alfred Kresge (1893-1961) was a French-born American painter and sculptor.
Throughout its history, the surname Kresge has been associated with various professions, including farming, business, politics, and the arts, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kresge
Among Census respondents with the surname Kresge, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kresge 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 Kresge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,722
- Two or more races3.2% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 24
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kresge
Kresge 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
#15,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,961
-27 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,136 places
2020
#15,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,871
-90 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,920 | 1,988 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,056 | 1,961 | 0.66 | -27 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 1,136 places |
| 2020 | #15,129 | 1,871 | 0.63 | -90 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 73 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 Kresge 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 | #15,056 | #15,129 | -0.5% |
| Count | 1,961 | 1,871 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.63 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kresge bearers went from 1,961 to 1,871 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,056 to #15,129.
FAQ
Kresge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kresge?
Name Census estimates that about 2,146 living Americans carry the surname Kresge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,718 residents.
How common is Kresge?
Kresge ranks #15,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,871 people with the surname Kresge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,146), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kresge.
Has Kresge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kresge went from 1,961 recorded bearers to 1,871. That is a decrease of 90 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,056 to #15,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Kresge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kresge, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kresge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,722 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kresge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Kresge (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 Kresge mean?
A German habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Kreis, meaning "district" or "circle." 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 Kresge (0.63 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 Kresge?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Kresge at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.