2000
#12,524
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Kropf
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to someone who rears or sells poultry or other fowl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,117 Americans carry the last name Kropf. That puts it at #11,141 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,963 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kropf 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
3.1K
1 in 109,963
Census rank
#11,141
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,718 bearers of the surname Kropf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11141st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kropf, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kropf
The surname Kropf has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "kropf," which means "bulge" or "swelling." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person with a noticeable physical characteristic, such as a large neck or swollen throat.
In the early days, the name was primarily concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Württemberg in southern Germany. Variations in spelling were common, with forms like "Kropff," "Kröpf," and "Kröpfer" also appearing in historical records.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Kropf can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Esslingen, near Stuttgart, in the year 1585. Here, a man named Hans Kropf is mentioned in relation to a baptismal record.
As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it became associated with several notable individuals. In the 17th century, Johann Kropf (1629-1695) was a prominent theologian and author from Nuremberg, whose works included commentaries on the Bible and treatises on church history.
In the 19th century, Franz Xaver Kropf (1836-1902) was an Austrian botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research in South Asia, particularly in the Himalayan region. His contributions to the study of flora and fauna in the region were significant.
Another notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Kropf (1846-1914), a German philologist and linguist who specialized in the study of Romani languages and culture. His work on documenting and preserving the Romani language and traditions was instrumental in advancing the understanding of this ethnic group.
In more recent times, the name Kropf has been associated with individuals such as Renate Kropf (born 1936), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party, who served as a member of the Bundestag (German parliament) from 1976 to 2002.
It is worth noting that while the name Kropf originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and even to North America through migration and immigration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kropf
Among Census respondents with the surname Kropf, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kropf 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 Kropf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 2,548
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 98
- Two or more races1.6% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kropf
Kropf 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
#12,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,490
+221 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 57 places
2020
#11,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,718
+228 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 1,326 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,524 | 2,269 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,467 | 2,490 | 0.84 | +221 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 57 places |
| 2020 | #11,141 | 2,718 | 0.91 | +228 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 1,326 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 Kropf 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 | #12,467 | #11,141 | 10.6% |
| Count | 2,490 | 2,718 | 9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.91 | 8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kropf bearers went from 2,490 to 2,718 (+9.2% change). The surname moved up 1,326 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,467 to #11,141.
FAQ
Kropf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kropf?
Name Census estimates that about 3,117 living Americans carry the surname Kropf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,963 residents.
How common is Kropf?
Kropf ranks #11,141 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,718 people with the surname Kropf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Kropf.
Has Kropf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kropf went from 2,490 recorded bearers to 2,718. That is an increase of 228 (+9.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,467 to #11,141.
What does the Census say about the background of Kropf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kropf, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Kropf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (2,548 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kropf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Kropf (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 Kropf mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to someone who rears or sells poultry or other fowl. 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 Kropf (0.91 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 Kropf?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.