2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kroning
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a crown-shaped hill or crown lands.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Kroning. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kroning 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Kroning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kroning, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kroning
The surname KRONING originates from the Low German language and is believed to have its roots in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Low German word "krone," which means "crown" or "wreath," suggesting a connection to royalty, nobility, or a profession related to crown-making or wreaths.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KRONING can be traced back to a document from the city of Lübeck in 1289, where a merchant named Hans KRONING was mentioned. This historical record provides evidence of the name's presence in the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe.
During the Middle Ages, the KRONING name appeared in various records across Lower Saxony and neighboring regions. For instance, in the 15th century, a farmer named Bernd KRONING was documented in the village of Wittingen, near the city of Gifhorn. This suggests that the name was not exclusively associated with nobility or trades but also had a presence among the rural population.
In the 16th century, the KRONING surname gained prominence with the birth of Johann KRONING (1515-1567), a prominent Lutheran theologian and reformer from Lübeck. His influential works and teachings contributed to the spread of the Protestant Reformation in Northern Germany and beyond.
Another notable figure was Katharina KRONING (1628-1705), a respected midwife and herbalist from the town of Uelzen. Her extensive knowledge of traditional medicine and her dedication to helping women during childbirth earned her recognition throughout the region.
The name KRONING also has ties to various place names, such as Kronenburg, a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia, and Kroningshagen, a village near Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname or vice versa.
In the 18th century, the KRONING family produced a renowned artist, Johann Friedrich KRONING (1767-1832), who specialized in portraiture and historical paintings. His works were highly regarded and can be found in various galleries and museums across Germany.
As the name spread throughout Germany and beyond, it encountered different spelling variations, such as KROHNING, KROENING, and KROHNINGER, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic influences. However, the core meaning and origin remained consistent, rooted in the Low German word "krone."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kroning
Among Census respondents with the surname Kroning, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kroning 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 Kroning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kroning
Kroning 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
-2 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 9,059 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-22 bearers (-15.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 9,059 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-15.9%) | Down 20,480 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 Kroning 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 | #124,548 | #145,028 | -16.4% |
| Count | 138 | 116 | -15.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kroning bearers went from 138 to 116 (-15.9% change). The surname moved down 20,480 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #145,028.
FAQ
Kroning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kroning?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Kroning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Kroning?
Kroning ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Kroning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kroning.
Has Kroning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kroning went from 138 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 22 (-15.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Kroning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kroning, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Kroning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kroning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Black (0.9%). 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 Kroning (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 Kroning mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a crown-shaped hill or crown lands. 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 Kroning (0.04 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 Kroning?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.