2000
#13,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Kron
A surname of Swedish origin meaning "crown," likely referring to a crown-like object or a metaphorical crown.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,238 Americans carry the last name Kron. That puts it at #14,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kron 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
2.2K
1 in 153,152
Census rank
#14,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,952 bearers of the surname Kron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kron, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kron
The surname Kron is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the early 15th century. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Krone," meaning "crown," which may have been an occupational name for someone who made or sold crowns.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kron can be found in the "Bürgermeisterbuch" (the mayor's book) of the city of Nuremberg, which dates back to 1428. Here, the name is spelled "Kron" and refers to a citizen of the city.
In the 16th century, the name Kron appeared in various other German records and documents, such as parish registers and tax rolls. Some of these records suggest that the name was particularly common in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
The first known individual with the surname Kron was Hans Kron, a master baker who lived in the city of Augsburg in the late 15th century. Another early bearer of the name was Johann Kron, a Protestant reformer and theologian who lived in the 16th century and was a contemporary of Martin Luther.
In the 17th century, the name Kron can be found in several place names across Germany, such as Kronach and Kronberg, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in those areas.
One notable figure with the surname Kron was Johann Baptist Kron, a German composer and organist who lived from 1678 to 1756. He was known for his contributions to the development of the Baroque organ style.
Another famous Kron was Karl Kron, a German painter and illustrator who lived from 1819 to 1901. He is best known for his illustrations of German folk tales and fairy tales.
In the 19th century, the name Kron also appeared in other parts of Europe, such as Austria and Switzerland, suggesting that some Kron families had migrated from Germany to other regions.
By the 20th century, the surname Kron had spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, where it was brought by German immigrants. One notable American with the surname Kron was Herman Kron, a German-American musician and composer who lived from 1882 to 1945.
Overall, the surname Kron has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval Germany, where it was likely an occupational name related to the making or selling of crowns. Over time, it has become a well-established surname in many countries around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kron
Among Census respondents with the surname Kron, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kron 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 Kron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,804
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 55
- Two or more races2.5% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 21
- Black or African American0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kron
Kron 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
#13,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,351
+207 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 28 places
2020
#14,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,952
-399 bearers (-17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,583 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,085 | 2,144 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,057 | 2,351 | 0.80 | +207 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 28 places |
| 2020 | #14,640 | 1,952 | 0.65 | -399 bearers (-17.0%) | Down 1,583 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 Kron 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 | #13,057 | #14,640 | -12.1% |
| Count | 2,351 | 1,952 | -17.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.65 | -18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kron bearers went from 2,351 to 1,952 (-17.0% change). The surname moved down 1,583 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,057 to #14,640.
FAQ
Kron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kron?
Name Census estimates that about 2,238 living Americans carry the surname Kron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,152 residents.
How common is Kron?
Kron ranks #14,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,952 people with the surname Kron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,238), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Kron.
Has Kron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kron went from 2,351 recorded bearers to 1,952. That is a decrease of 399 (-17.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,057 to #14,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Kron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kron, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Kron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,804 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Kron (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 Kron mean?
A surname of Swedish origin meaning "crown," likely referring to a crown-like object or a metaphorical crown. 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 Kron (0.65 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 Kron?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.