2000
#11,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,407
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Krone
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning "crown," often referring to a house sign or the occupation of selling crowns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,584 Americans carry the last name Krone. That puts it at #13,027 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,645 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krone 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
2.6K
1 in 132,645
Census rank
#13,027
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,253 bearers of the surname Krone in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13027th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krone, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krone
The surname Krone has its origins in Germany, where it emerged in the Middle Ages, likely around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the German word "Krone," which means "crown" in English. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a tavern or inn with a distinctive crown-shaped sign.
Alternatively, the name could have been an occupational surname given to individuals involved in the production or sale of crowns, possibly goldsmiths or metalworkers. In some cases, it may have been a descriptive nickname for someone with a distinctive crown-like feature, such as a bald spot or a distinctive hairline.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Krone can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around the 14th century. The name also appears in various German church records and municipal registers from the 15th and 16th centuries, with spellings like "Kron," "Krone," and "Krohn."
Notable individuals with the surname Krone throughout history include Johann Krone (1594-1659), a German composer and organist known for his sacred works. Another prominent figure was Heinrich Krone (1629-1712), a German lawyer and political writer who served as a legal advisor to the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
In the 19th century, August Krone (1836-1892) was a German painter and illustrator known for his depictions of historical scenes and landscapes. Wilhelm Krone (1837-1926) was a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin.
Moving into the 20th century, Hermann Krone (1900-1971) was a German scientist and engineer who made significant contributions to the field of telecommunications, particularly in the development of coaxial cables and microwave technology.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Krone who have left their mark on various fields throughout history, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and diverse origins associated with this Germanic surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krone
Among Census respondents with the surname Krone, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Krone 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 Krone surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 2,052
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 77
- Two or more races2.7% · 61
- Black or African American1.1% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krone
Krone 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
#9,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,253
+846 bearers (+35.1%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 1,985 places
2020
#13,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,253
-1,000 bearers (-30.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 3,102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,910 | 2,407 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,925 | 3,253 | 1.10 | +846 bearers (+35.1%) | Up 1,985 places |
| 2020 | #13,027 | 2,253 | 0.75 | -1,000 bearers (-30.7%) | Down 3,102 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 Krone 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 | #9,925 | #13,027 | -31.3% |
| Count | 3,253 | 2,253 | -30.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 0.75 | -31.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krone bearers went from 3,253 to 2,253 (-30.7% change). The surname moved down 3,102 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,925 to #13,027.
FAQ
Krone surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krone?
Name Census estimates that about 2,584 living Americans carry the surname Krone. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,645 residents.
How common is Krone?
Krone ranks #13,027 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,253 people with the surname Krone. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,584), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Krone.
Has Krone become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krone went from 3,253 recorded bearers to 2,253. That is a decrease of 1,000 (-30.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,925 to #13,027.
What does the Census say about the background of Krone?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krone, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Krone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (2,052 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krone appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Krone (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 Krone mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning "crown," often referring to a house sign or the occupation of selling crowns. 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 Krone (0.75 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 common is the surname Krone?
You can see how many people are called Krone on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.