2000
#5,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,880
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.18
Rare Last name
Krohn
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "krone," meaning "crown," likely referring to a crown maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,646 Americans carry the last name Krohn. That puts it at #5,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,573 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krohn 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
6.6K
1 in 51,573
Census rank
#5,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,796 bearers of the surname Krohn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krohn
The surname Krohn originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Low German word "krone," meaning "crown," which may have been a reference to a physical characteristic, occupation, or location associated with the first bearers of the name.
Historically, the name Krohn was predominantly found in northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Lower Saxony. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Krohn, Krohne, and Krön, which reflect regional dialects and orthographic conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known references to the name Krohn can be found in the church records of Rostock, a city in the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where a family by the name of Krohn is mentioned in the 16th century. Additionally, the name appears in various municipal records and legal documents from the same period in other parts of northern Germany.
Notable individuals with the surname Krohn throughout history include Johann Krohn (1712-1788), a German theologian and philosopher who was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment movement. Another notable bearer of the name was August Krohn (1804-1891), a German philologist and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of comparative linguistics.
In the field of music, the name Krohn is associated with Ilmari Krohn (1867-1960), a Finnish composer and music historian who played a crucial role in the development of Finnish national music. Similarly, Ernst Krohn (1888-1970) was a German composer and pianist known for his works in the Romantic tradition.
The surname Krohn also has a notable presence in the literary world, with authors such as Leena Krohn (1947-), a Finnish writer renowned for her speculative fiction and poetry, and Gerd Krohn (1931-2014), a German children's book author and illustrator.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Krohn who have left their mark on various fields throughout history, highlighting the diverse backgrounds and achievements associated with this name of German origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krohn
Among Census respondents with the surname Krohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Krohn 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 Krohn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 5,366
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 199
- Two or more races2.6% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
- Black or African American0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krohn
Krohn 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
#5,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,969
+89 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 353 places
2020
#5,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,796
-173 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,443 | 5,880 | 2.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,796 | 5,969 | 2.02 | +89 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 353 places |
| 2020 | #5,765 | 5,796 | 1.94 | -173 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 31 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 Krohn 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 | #5,796 | #5,765 | 0.5% |
| Count | 5,969 | 5,796 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.02 | 1.94 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krohn bearers went from 5,969 to 5,796 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,796 to #5,765.
FAQ
Krohn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krohn?
Name Census estimates that about 6,646 living Americans carry the surname Krohn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,573 residents.
How common is Krohn?
Krohn ranks #5,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,796 people with the surname Krohn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,646), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Krohn.
Has Krohn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krohn went from 5,969 recorded bearers to 5,796. That is a decrease of 173 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,796 to #5,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Krohn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Krohn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (5,366 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krohn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Krohn (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 Krohn mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "krone," meaning "crown," likely referring to a crown maker. 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 Krohn (1.94 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 have the surname Krohn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.