2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Krichten
A German surname meaning "small church" or "chapel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Krichten. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krichten 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Krichten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krichten, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krichten
The surname Krichten is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Krichter," which referred to a person who held the occupation of a judge or magistrate. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive term for someone who worked in the legal system or held a position of authority in a local community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Essen, located in the Rhineland region of western Germany, where a family by the name of Krichten is mentioned in the year 1612. It is also believed that the name may have had variants or similar spellings in different regions, such as Krichter or Krichter.
While there are no known references to the name Krichten in major historical documents like the Domesday Book, it is possible that the name appeared in local records or manuscripts from various German towns and villages during the 16th and 17th centuries, reflecting its regional origins.
Notable individuals who bore the surname Krichten include Johann Krichten (1602-1668), a German philosopher and theologian who was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time. Another prominent bearer of the name was Friedrich Krichten (1739-1812), a German composer and musician who served as the court conductor for the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.
Other historical figures with the surname Krichten include Hans Krichten (1570-1638), a German merchant and landowner who was influential in the development of trade routes in the region, and Margaretha Krichten (1625-1692), a renowned herbalist and healer who authored several treatises on medicinal plants and their uses.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Karl Krichten (1810-1884), a German artist and painter who was renowned for his landscapes and portraiture, and whose works can be found in several prestigious museums across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krichten
Among Census respondents with the surname Krichten, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Krichten 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 Krichten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krichten
Krichten 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+9 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 991 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-10 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,439 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 991 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 11,439 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 Krichten 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 | #130,610 | #142,049 | -8.8% |
| Count | 130 | 120 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krichten bearers went from 130 to 120 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 11,439 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #142,049.
FAQ
Krichten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krichten?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Krichten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Krichten?
Krichten ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Krichten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Krichten.
Has Krichten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krichten went from 130 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Krichten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krichten, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Krichten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krichten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Krichten (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 Krichten mean?
A German surname meaning "small church" or "chapel." 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 Krichten (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 Americans have the surname Krichten?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.