2000
#12,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,224
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Kromer
A German occupational surname referring to a shopkeeper, retailer, or peddler of small goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,338 Americans carry the last name Kromer. That puts it at #14,136 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,602 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kromer 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
2.3K
1 in 146,602
Census rank
#14,136
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,039 bearers of the surname Kromer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14136th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kromer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kromer
The surname Kromer has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely emerging during the late medieval period or the early Renaissance era. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "kromer," which referred to a trader, peddler, or merchant. This occupation-based surname would have been bestowed upon individuals involved in commercial activities or the buying and selling of goods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kromer surname can be traced back to the late 15th century in the region of Bavaria, where a certain Hans Kromer was mentioned in a municipal record dated 1487. This suggests that the name had already become established as a hereditary surname by that time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Kromer surname was Martin Kromer, a Polish historian, diplomat, and bishop born in 1512. He served as the Bishop of Warmia and authored several influential works, including "De origine et rebus gestis Polonorum" (On the Origin and Deeds of the Poles), a significant historical account of Poland.
Another prominent individual with the Kromer surname was Johann Kromer, a German Renaissance humanist and reformer born in 1459. He played a pivotal role in the early phases of the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
The Kromer surname also has connections to various place names in Germany, such as Krombach, a town in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Kromsdorf, a village in Thuringia. These place names may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the surname in certain regions.
During the 17th century, a notable figure named Wilhelm Kromer (1589-1653) made significant contributions to the field of medicine. He was a German physician and botanist who published works on herbal remedies and the medicinal properties of plants.
In the 18th century, Johann Philipp Kromer (1710-1782) was a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Giessen. His writings on legal theory and practice were widely influential during that period.
While the Kromer surname has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond due to migration and travel. The name continues to be found among various communities, carrying with it a rich history and connection to the mercantile and scholarly traditions of its origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kromer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kromer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kromer 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 Kromer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 1,913
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 56
- Two or more races2.6% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kromer
Kromer 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
#12,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,375
+151 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 196 places
2020
#14,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,039
-336 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,739 | 2,224 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,935 | 2,375 | 0.81 | +151 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 196 places |
| 2020 | #14,136 | 2,039 | 0.68 | -336 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 1,201 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 Kromer 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 | #12,935 | #14,136 | -9.3% |
| Count | 2,375 | 2,039 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.68 | -15.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kromer bearers went from 2,375 to 2,039 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 1,201 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,935 to #14,136.
FAQ
Kromer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kromer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,338 living Americans carry the surname Kromer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,602 residents.
How common is Kromer?
Kromer ranks #14,136 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,039 people with the surname Kromer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,338), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Kromer.
Has Kromer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kromer went from 2,375 recorded bearers to 2,039. That is a decrease of 336 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,935 to #14,136.
What does the Census say about the background of Kromer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kromer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) 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 Kromer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,913 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kromer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.7%), 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 Kromer (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 Kromer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a shopkeeper, retailer, or peddler of small goods. 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 Kromer (0.68 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 Americans have the surname Kromer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.