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

Krieg, 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 Krieg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Krieg in America

Krieg is the 7695th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Krieg surname appeared 4,314 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 Krieg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Krieg 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 Krieg

The surname Krieg has its origins in Germany, with records indicating it became established in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "krieg," which means "war" or "battle," suggesting the name may have been adopted by someone involved in military conflicts or warfare during that era.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Krieg can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which mentions a "Johannes Krieg" in the year 1375. Additionally, the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Württemberg, references a "Hans Krieg" in 1412.

The name Krieg likely originated in the regions of southern Germany, such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where it was more prevalent in the early days. However, as families migrated and settled in other areas, the name spread throughout Germany and neighboring countries.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records, including the Stadtbücher (town books) of Nuremberg, which mention a "Hans Krieg" in 1525. Around the same time, a "Georg Krieg" is recorded in the Kirchenbücher (church books) of Saxony in 1542.

One notable figure bearing the surname Krieg was Johann Krieg (1591-1666), a German Protestant theologian and philosopher from Nuremberg. He served as a professor at the University of Altdorf and wrote several works on theology and philosophy.

In the 18th century, the name Krieg can be found in the records of the Palatinate region of Germany. The Kirchenbücher of Essingen, for example, mention a "Johannes Krieg" in 1723 and a "Michael Krieg" in 1756.

Another significant figure with the surname Krieg was Friedrich Krieg (1766-1844), a German historian and geographer from Saxony. He authored several books on the history and geography of Saxony and served as the director of the Royal Public Library in Dresden.

As the name spread across Europe, it also appeared in various spellings and forms, such as Krieger, Kriegar, and Kriegher, though Krieg remained the most common variation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Krieg

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

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 Krieg 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 Krieg 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 Krieg was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Krieg, 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!