2000
#3,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.98
Uncommon Last name
Kroll
A surname of German origin, derived from a word meaning "curly" or "curled," likely referring to curly hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,600 Americans carry the last name Kroll. That puts it at #3,447 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,548 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kroll 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 Kroll with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 29,548
Census rank
#3,447
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,116 bearers of the surname Kroll in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3447th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kroll, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kroll
The surname Kroll is of German origin, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Kroll," which means "curl" or "curly-haired." This suggests that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with curly hair.
The earliest recorded instances of the Kroll surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. In the 14th century, the name appeared in manuscripts and records from various towns and villages across the German states.
One of the earliest known references to the Kroll name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around 1350. This document mentions a certain "Johannes Kroll" as a landowner in the region.
In the 15th century, the Kroll surname gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where several individuals bearing the name were recorded as merchants and tradesmen. One notable example is Hans Kroll, a successful merchant and member of the city council in Nuremberg, who lived from 1432 to 1498.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it also took on various spellings and variations, such as Krol, Kröll, and Kröhl. These variations were influenced by local dialects and regional variations in the pronunciation of the name.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Kroll surname continued to appear in various German states, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg. One notable figure from this period is Johann Georg Kroll, a Protestant theologian and author born in Nuremberg in 1582, who wrote several influential works on religious topics.
In the 18th century, the Kroll surname gained prominence in the field of education, with Johann David Kroll (1682-1758), a German educator and author, who published several books on pedagogy and teaching methods.
As the name spread beyond Germany, it also found its way into other European countries, such as the Netherlands and Poland. One example is the Polish-German composer and pianist, Franz Kroll (1820-1877), who was born in Warsaw and achieved significant recognition for his compositions and performances.
Throughout history, the Kroll surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, tradesmen, theologians, educators, and artists. While the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich heritage and a strong presence across different regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kroll
Among Census respondents with the surname Kroll, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kroll 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 Kroll surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 9,255
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 347
- Two or more races3.0% · 306
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 113
- Black or African American0.7% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kroll
Kroll 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
#3,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,098
+367 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 3.76
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#3,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,116
-982 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 3.38
Rank movement Down 194 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,098 | 10,731 | 3.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,253 | 11,098 | 3.76 | +367 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #3,447 | 10,116 | 3.38 | -982 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 194 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 Kroll 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 | #3,253 | #3,447 | -6.0% |
| Count | 11,098 | 10,116 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.76 | 3.38 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kroll bearers went from 11,098 to 10,116 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 194 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,253 to #3,447.
FAQ
Kroll surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kroll?
Name Census estimates that about 11,600 living Americans carry the surname Kroll. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,548 residents.
How common is Kroll?
Kroll ranks #3,447 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.38 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 10,116 people with the surname Kroll. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,600), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.38 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 Kroll.
Has Kroll become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kroll went from 11,098 recorded bearers to 10,116. That is a decrease of 982 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,253 to #3,447.
What does the Census say about the background of Kroll?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kroll, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Kroll in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (9,255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kroll appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Kroll (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 Kroll mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from a word meaning "curly" or "curled," likely referring to curly hair. 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 Kroll (3.38 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 Kroll?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.