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

Kriss, 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 Kriss surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kriss in America

Kriss is the 18757th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kriss surname appeared 1,462 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 Kriss.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kriss 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 Kriss

The surname Kriss is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Kreis," which means "circle" or "ring," suggesting a possible occupational origin related to someone who made or worked with circular objects, such as rings or wheels.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kriss can be found in the 14th century German manuscript known as the "Chronica de Gestis Principum." This historical text mentions a person named "Johannes Kriss" who lived in the region of Bavaria during that time period.

In the 16th century, the name Kriss appeared in the town records of Nuremberg, a city in the German state of Bavaria. The records document a family named Kriss residing in the town, indicating that the name was well-established in that region by that point.

Throughout the centuries, various spellings of the name have been found, including "Krys," "Kryss," and "Krysz." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and scribal errors in transcribing the name.

One notable figure bearing the surname Kriss was Johann Kriss (1596-1663), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. He was born in Nuremberg and spent most of his career in that city.

Another individual of note was Friedrich Kriss (1770-1853), a German jurist and statesman who served as the Minister of Justice for the Kingdom of Bavaria in the early 19th century.

In the realm of literature, the surname Kriss is associated with the German writer and poet Rudolf Kriss (1897-1976), who was known for his works exploring themes of nature and spirituality.

Moving to the 20th century, we find Hans Kriss (1902-1994), a German-American historian and anthropologist who specialized in the study of Southeast Asian cultures and art. He was born in Munich and later immigrated to the United States, where he taught at various universities.

Finally, the name Kriss has also been connected to the German-American physicist Walter Kriss (1917-1995), who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics during his career at the University of California, Los Angeles.

While the surname Kriss may have originated from a humble occupational background, it has been carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields, ranging from art and literature to law and academia, across multiple centuries and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kriss

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

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

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

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