2000
#41,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 497
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Krugh
A variant spelling of the surname Krüger, derived from the German occupation of innkeeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 612 Americans carry the last name Krugh. That puts it at #43,557 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 560,056 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krugh 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
612
1 in 560,056
Census rank
#43,557
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
534
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 534 bearers of the surname Krugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43557th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krugh
The surname KRUGH originated in Germany, with records dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Krug," which means a jug or pitcher, suggesting that the name may have been an occupational designation for someone who made or sold jugs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KRUGH can be found in the parish records of Wittenberg, Germany, from the year 1532. The entry mentions a Hans KRUGH, who was a potter by trade.
In the late 16th century, the name KRUGH began appearing in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. It is possible that the name's spread was facilitated by the migration of potters and artisans seeking new opportunities in different parts of the country.
During the 17th century, the KRUGH surname appeared in several historical records in the city of Nuremberg, a prominent center for the production of ceramics and metalwork. One notable individual from this time was Johann KRUGH, a master potter who was born in 1612 and is believed to have contributed to the development of the famous Nuremberg faience pottery.
In the 18th century, the name KRUGH began to appear in other parts of Europe as individuals migrated from Germany. For instance, records show a Peter KRUGH who settled in the Netherlands in the early 1700s and established a successful pottery business.
As the KRUGH family spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as KRUGH, KRUGHE, and KRUGHER. These variations likely resulted from regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
One of the most notable individuals bearing the KRUGH surname was Friedrich KRUGH, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1786 to 1856. He was known for his contributions to the field of metaphysics and his writings on the nature of reality.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm KRUGH, a German artist born in 1825, who gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of the German countryside.
In the 19th century, the KRUGH name began appearing in North America as German immigrants sought new opportunities across the Atlantic. One such individual was Johann KRUGH, who arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1840s and established a successful pottery business, carrying on the family's traditional occupation.
Overall, the surname KRUGH has a rich history rooted in the German tradition of pottery and ceramics, with its origins dating back to the 16th century. While the name has spread globally, its roots can be traced back to the skilled craftsmen and artisans who played a vital role in the cultural heritage of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Krugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Krugh 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 Krugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 477
- Two or more races5.4% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krugh
Krugh 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
#40,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 538
+41 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Up 710 places
2020
#43,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 534
-4 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 2,947 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,320 | 497 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,610 | 538 | 0.18 | +41 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 710 places |
| 2020 | #43,557 | 534 | 0.18 | -4 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 2,947 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 Krugh 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 | #40,610 | #43,557 | -7.3% |
| Count | 538 | 534 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.18 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krugh bearers went from 538 to 534 (-0.7% change). The surname moved down 2,947 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,610 to #43,557.
FAQ
Krugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krugh?
Name Census estimates that about 612 living Americans carry the surname Krugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 560,056 residents.
How common is Krugh?
Krugh ranks #43,557 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 534 people with the surname Krugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (612), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Krugh.
Has Krugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krugh went from 538 recorded bearers to 534. That is a decrease of 4 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,610 to #43,557.
What does the Census say about the background of Krugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.4%) 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 Krugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (477 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (5.4%), 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 Krugh (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 Krugh mean?
A variant spelling of the surname Krüger, derived from the German occupation of innkeeper. 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 Krugh (0.18 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 Krugh?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Krugh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.