2000
#8,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,781
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Krol
A Polish occupational surname meaning "king," likely referring to someone who served in the royal court or played the king in theater.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,276 Americans carry the last name Krol. That puts it at #8,491 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,158 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krol 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 Krol with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,158
Census rank
#8,491
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,729 bearers of the surname Krol in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8491st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krol, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krol
The surname KROL is of Polish origin, derived from the Polish word "król" meaning "king." It is a noble surname that traces back to the medieval period in Poland, where it was likely adopted by individuals with royal connections or those who served in the court of a monarch.
The earliest recorded instances of the KROL surname can be found in Polish historical records and documents dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a nobleman named Jakub KROL, who lived in the city of Krakow during the reign of King Casimir III the Great in the mid-14th century.
In the 16th century, the KROL surname appeared in the records of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was a union of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. During this period, the name was associated with the szlachta, the noble class of Polish society, and was often used by members of the gentry and landed aristocracy.
One of the most prominent figures bearing the KROL surname was Jan KROL, a Polish military officer and nobleman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as a general in the Polish-Lithuanian army and played a significant role in the Polish-Muscovite War of 1609-1618.
Another notable individual was Piotr KROL, a Polish writer and poet who lived in the 17th century. He was known for his religious works and poetry, and his writings were widely circulated among the Polish nobility and clergy of the time.
In the 18th century, the KROL surname gained prominence in the Polish territories under the rule of the Russian Empire. One notable figure from this period was Jakub KROL, a Polish landowner and philanthropist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was known for his charitable works and his support for educational initiatives in his local community.
During the 19th century, the KROL surname spread beyond Poland as Polish immigrants and their descendants settled in other parts of Europe and the Americas. One noteworthy individual was Stanisław KROL, a Polish-American journalist and activist who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He played a significant role in the Polish-American community and advocated for Polish independence from foreign rule.
Throughout its history, the KROL surname has been associated with nobility, military service, literature, and philanthropy in Poland and among Polish communities around the world. While its origins can be traced back to the medieval period, the name has endured and continues to be a recognizable surname of Polish heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krol
Among Census respondents with the surname Krol, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Krol 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 Krol surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 3,532
- Two or more races2.5% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krol
Krol 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
#8,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,025
+244 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 159 places
2020
#8,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,729
-296 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,076 | 3,781 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,235 | 4,025 | 1.36 | +244 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 159 places |
| 2020 | #8,491 | 3,729 | 1.25 | -296 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 256 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 Krol 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 | #8,235 | #8,491 | -3.1% |
| Count | 4,025 | 3,729 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.25 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krol bearers went from 4,025 to 3,729 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,235 to #8,491.
FAQ
Krol surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krol?
Name Census estimates that about 4,276 living Americans carry the surname Krol. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,158 residents.
How common is Krol?
Krol ranks #8,491 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,729 people with the surname Krol. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Krol.
Has Krol become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krol went from 4,025 recorded bearers to 3,729. That is a decrease of 296 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,235 to #8,491.
What does the Census say about the background of Krol?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krol, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Krol in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (3,532 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krol appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Krol (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 Krol mean?
A Polish occupational surname meaning "king," likely referring to someone who served in the royal court or played the king in theater. 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 Krol (1.25 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 share the surname Krol?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.