2000
#9,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Krouse
A German occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold jugs or tankards.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,471 Americans carry the last name Krouse. That puts it at #10,148 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,748 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krouse 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
3.5K
1 in 98,748
Census rank
#10,148
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,027 bearers of the surname Krouse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10148th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krouse
The surname Krouse has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "Kraus," which means "curly" or "crisp," often referring to someone's hair or complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the historical documents of the city of Cologne, where a certain Heinrich Krouse was mentioned as a landowner in the year 1297. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with the region of Rhineland.
During the 16th century, the name appeared in various records across different German states, with variations in spelling such as Krause, Krauss, and Krausse. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the transcription practices of the time.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name Krouse was Johann Krouse, a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, who lived between 1625 and 1701. His intricate timepieces were coveted by nobility and wealthy patrons across Europe.
Another significant individual with this surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Krouse, a German philosopher and educator who lived from 1785 to 1846. He authored several influential works on educational theory and was a proponent of progressive teaching methods.
In the 19th century, the Krouse name gained prominence in the United States as many German immigrants settled in various parts of the country. One such individual was Jacob Krouse, who was born in 1820 in Hesse-Darmstadt and later emigrated to Pennsylvania, where he became a successful farmer and landowner.
Another noteworthy figure from this period was Elizabeth Krouse, born in 1856 in Saxony, who went on to become a celebrated painter and art educator in New York City. Her works were exhibited at prestigious galleries and museums during her lifetime.
In the early 20th century, a prominent figure bearing the Krouse name was Albert Krouse, a German-American engineer and entrepreneur who lived from 1888 to 1972. He founded the Krouse Corporation, a successful manufacturing company specializing in industrial machinery.
While the surname Krouse is not as widespread as some other German surnames, it has left its mark on history through the accomplishments of individuals across various fields, from arts and crafts to education and industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krouse
Among Census respondents with the surname Krouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Krouse 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 Krouse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,782
- Two or more races3.1% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 90
- Black or African American1.1% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krouse
Krouse 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
#8,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,759
+617 bearers (+19.6%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 764 places
2020
#10,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,027
-732 bearers (-19.5%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 1,424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,488 | 3,142 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,724 | 3,759 | 1.27 | +617 bearers (+19.6%) | Up 764 places |
| 2020 | #10,148 | 3,027 | 1.01 | -732 bearers (-19.5%) | Down 1,424 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 Krouse 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 | #8,724 | #10,148 | -16.3% |
| Count | 3,759 | 3,027 | -19.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.01 | -20.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krouse bearers went from 3,759 to 3,027 (-19.5% change). The surname moved down 1,424 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,724 to #10,148.
FAQ
Krouse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krouse?
Name Census estimates that about 3,471 living Americans carry the surname Krouse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,748 residents.
How common is Krouse?
Krouse ranks #10,148 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,027 people with the surname Krouse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,471), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Krouse.
Has Krouse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krouse went from 3,759 recorded bearers to 3,027. That is a decrease of 732 (-19.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,724 to #10,148.
What does the Census say about the background of Krouse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Krouse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,782 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krouse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Krouse (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 Krouse mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold jugs or tankards. 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 Krouse (1.01 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 are called Krouse?
Find out how common the surname Krouse is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.