2000
#4,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,871
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.92
Rare Last name
Krug
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of jugs, mugs, or other containers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,422 Americans carry the last name Krug. That puts it at #4,684 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,697 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krug 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
8.4K
1 in 40,697
Census rank
#4,684
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,344 bearers of the surname Krug in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4684th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krug, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krug
The surname Krug originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Krug," which means a jug or pitcher. The name likely referred to someone who made or sold these vessels.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Krug surname is found in the town of Nürnberg, Germany, in 1562. A potter named Hans Krug is mentioned in a local guild record from that year.
In the 17th century, the Krug name appeared in various German regions, including Bavaria and Saxony. Some variations of the spelling included Kruge and Kruger.
The Krug surname is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Krugau and Krugsdorf, suggesting that the name may have originated from these locations.
One notable figure with the Krug surname was Johann Philipp Krug, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1764 to 1844. He was a prominent figure in the German Enlightenment and wrote extensively on topics such as philosophy, aesthetics, and education.
Another historical figure was Wilhelm Traugott Krug, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1770 to 1842. He was a professor of law at the University of Leipzig and contributed significantly to the development of German legal theory.
In the 19th century, the Krug name gained prominence in the United States, with many German immigrants bearing the surname. One such individual was Herman Krug, a German-American brewer who founded the Krug Brewing Company in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1848.
Another notable American with the Krug surname was Charles Krug, a Prussian immigrant who established the Charles Krug Winery in Napa Valley, California, in 1861. This winery is considered one of the oldest and most prestigious in the region.
Lastly, Karl Krug, a German-American artist and sculptor who lived from 1833 to 1898, is remembered for his public sculptures and monuments, including the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Richmond, Virginia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krug
Among Census respondents with the surname Krug, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Krug 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 Krug surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 6,847
- Two or more races2.9% · 212
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 60
- Black or African American0.4% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krug
Krug 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
#4,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,827
-44 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.65
Rank movement Down 357 places
2020
#4,684
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,344
-483 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,174 | 7,871 | 2.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,531 | 7,827 | 2.65 | -44 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 357 places |
| 2020 | #4,684 | 7,344 | 2.46 | -483 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 153 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 Krug 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 | #4,531 | #4,684 | -3.4% |
| Count | 7,827 | 7,344 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.65 | 2.46 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krug bearers went from 7,827 to 7,344 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,531 to #4,684.
FAQ
Krug surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krug?
Name Census estimates that about 8,422 living Americans carry the surname Krug. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,697 residents.
How common is Krug?
Krug ranks #4,684 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,344 people with the surname Krug. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Krug.
Has Krug become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krug went from 7,827 recorded bearers to 7,344. That is a decrease of 483 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,531 to #4,684.
What does the Census say about the background of Krug?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krug, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (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 Krug in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (6,847 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krug appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (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 Krug (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 Krug mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of jugs, mugs, or other containers. 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 Krug (2.46 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 Krug?
Find out how many people are called Krug on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.