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

Krier, 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 Krier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Krier in America

Krier is the 10416th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Krier surname appeared 3,090 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 Krier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Krier 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 Krier

The surname Krier is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Krie," meaning "crow" or "raven," and may have been given as a nickname to someone who had a dark complexion or hair color resembling that of a crow.

One of the earliest known references to the Krier name can be found in the records of the town of Darmstadt, in the German state of Hesse, where a certain Hans Krier was mentioned in a document dated 1583. Another early record comes from the nearby town of Offenbach, where a Johann Krier was born in 1612.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Krier surname began to spread across various regions of Germany, with families bearing this name found in areas such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. Some notable individuals from this period include Johann Georg Krier (1686-1754), a Lutheran pastor and scholar from Nuremberg, and Christoph Friedrich Krier (1722-1788), a renowned clockmaker from Dresden.

As the 19th century dawned, the Krier name continued to gain prominence, with several individuals making their mark in various fields. One such person was Karl Krier (1833-1911), a German painter and engraver who was born in the city of Mainz. Another notable figure was Max Krier (1857-1923), a German-born American architect who designed several iconic buildings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In the 20th century, the Krier surname gained international recognition through the work of Leon Krier (born 1946), a renowned Luxembourgish architect and urban theorist who has been influential in the development of the New Urbanism movement. Other notable individuals include Hans Krier (1940-2020), a German football player and manager, and Christiane Krier (born 1968), a German soprano and opera singer.

While the Krier surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with families bearing this name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Krier

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Krier, please contact us.

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