2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kressly
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of curls or kreshes, which were crisp rolls or bread twists.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Kressly. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kressly 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Kressly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kressly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kressly
The surname Kressly has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Kressel," which means a small curl or ripple, suggesting that the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with curly hair.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kressly can be found in the village of Tübingen, located in the southwestern region of Germany. In a church register from 1575, a certain Hans Kressly is mentioned as a resident of the village.
During the 17th century, the name Kressly spread beyond the borders of Germany, with records indicating that some families bearing this surname had migrated to neighboring countries, such as Switzerland and Austria. In the Swiss city of Basel, a merchant named Jakob Kressly is listed in a trade registry from 1683.
As the Kressly surname gained prominence, it also began to appear in various historical documents and manuscripts. Notably, in the Württemberg State Archives, there is a record of a land dispute from 1712 involving a family named Kressly.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have carried the Kressly surname. One such person was Johann Kressly (1677-1741), a renowned clockmaker from the town of Schramberg in the Black Forest region of Germany. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by nobility and wealthy patrons across Europe.
Another noteworthy figure was Katharina Kressly (1798-1872), a Swiss philanthropist and activist who dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of underprivileged children and families in the city of Zurich. Her efforts led to the establishment of several orphanages and charitable organizations.
In the field of literature, Hans Kressly (1892-1968) was a celebrated German poet and writer, known for his vivid descriptions of rural life and the natural landscapes of his homeland. His works, such as "Der Schwarzwaldmaler" (The Black Forest Painter), have been widely acclaimed and translated into multiple languages.
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Kressly surname in the Americas can be traced back to Johann Kressly (1725-1802), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a prosperous farmer in the region.
Lastly, in the realm of academia, Elise Kressly (1928-2014) was a renowned German historian and scholar, whose research focused on the cultural and social dynamics of medieval Europe. Her contributions to the field of medieval studies have been widely recognized and continue to influence modern scholarship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kressly
Among Census respondents with the surname Kressly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kressly 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 Kressly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kressly
Kressly 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 190 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-6 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,438 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 190 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 5,438 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 Kressly 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 | #146,201 | #151,639 | -3.7% |
| Count | 113 | 107 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kressly bearers went from 113 to 107 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 5,438 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #151,639.
FAQ
Kressly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kressly?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Kressly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Kressly?
Kressly ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Kressly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Kressly.
Has Kressly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kressly went from 113 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Kressly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kressly, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Kressly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kressly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Black (1.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Kressly (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 Kressly mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of curls or kreshes, which were crisp rolls or bread twists. 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 Kressly (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 have the last name Kressly?
See how many people have the surname Kressly on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.