2000
#3,106
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,704
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.97
Uncommon Last name
Krieger
A German occupational surname meaning "warrior," derived from the Middle High German word "krieger."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,676 Americans carry the last name Krieger. That puts it at #3,427 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,355 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krieger 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Krieger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,355
Census rank
#3,427
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,182 bearers of the surname Krieger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3427th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krieger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krieger
The surname Krieger is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Krieger," which means "warrior" or "soldier." The name was likely first given as a descriptive surname to individuals who were soldiers or who displayed warrior-like qualities.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Krieger can be found in various German historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Heinrich Krieger in a document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1298.
During the Middle Ages, the Krieger surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where many families with this name can be found in local records and chronicles. The name was also associated with certain place names, such as Kriegersdorf, a village in Saxony, which may have derived its name from individuals bearing the surname Krieger.
As the name suggests, there were several notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Krieger and were associated with military or warrior-like professions. One such individual was Johann Krieger (1651-1735), a German composer and organist who served as a military officer in his youth.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Krieger (1670-1750), a German jurist and diplomat who played a significant role in the negotiations leading to the Peace of Utrecht in 1713, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession.
In the 19th century, Gustav Krieger (1824-1906) was a German architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag building.
The surname Krieger was also found in other regions of Europe, particularly in areas with German-speaking populations. For instance, the Austrian composer Johann Philipp Krieger (1649-1725) was a contemporary of Johann Krieger and is known for his contributions to the development of the German baroque musical style.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Hermann Krieger (1819-1880), a German-born American military officer who fought for the Union during the American Civil War and rose to the rank of Major General.
While the surname Krieger has its roots in German history and language, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its origins remain firmly rooted in the medieval German tradition, where it was associated with individuals who displayed warrior-like qualities or were involved in military pursuits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krieger
Among Census respondents with the surname Krieger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Krieger 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 Krieger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 9,399
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 337
- Two or more races2.8% · 288
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 85
- Black or African American0.5% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krieger
Krieger 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
#3,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,521
+817 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 3.91
Rank movement Down 27 places
2020
#3,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,182
-1,339 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,106 | 10,704 | 3.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,133 | 11,521 | 3.91 | +817 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 27 places |
| 2020 | #3,427 | 10,182 | 3.41 | -1,339 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 294 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 Krieger 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 | #3,133 | #3,427 | -9.4% |
| Count | 11,521 | 10,182 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.91 | 3.41 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krieger bearers went from 11,521 to 10,182 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,133 to #3,427.
FAQ
Krieger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krieger?
Name Census estimates that about 11,676 living Americans carry the surname Krieger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,355 residents.
How common is Krieger?
Krieger ranks #3,427 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,182 people with the surname Krieger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,676), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Krieger.
Has Krieger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krieger went from 11,521 recorded bearers to 10,182. That is a decrease of 1,339 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,133 to #3,427.
What does the Census say about the background of Krieger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krieger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Krieger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (9,399 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krieger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Krieger (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 Krieger mean?
A German occupational surname meaning "warrior," derived from the Middle High German word "krieger." 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 Krieger (3.41 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 Krieger?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Krieger, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.