2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kruske
A surname derived from a Slavic word referring to a tavern or inn keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Kruske. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kruske 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Kruske in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kruske, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kruske
The surname KRUSKE has its origins in Germany, and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "krus" or "kraus," meaning "curly" or "curled," potentially referring to a person with curly hair or a distinctive physical feature.
The earliest known record of the name KRUSKE dates back to 1543, when a Johannes Kruske was mentioned in a baptismal record from the town of Erfurt, in present-day Thuringia, Germany. This region, along with other parts of central and northern Germany, is where the name was most prevalent in its early history.
In the late 16th century, a variation of the name, "Kruskow," appeared in records from the town of Schwerin, in what is now the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. This spelling was likely influenced by the Low German dialect of the area, and may have referred to a person from the village of Kruskow, near Schwerin.
One notable bearer of the KRUSKE name was Hans Kruske, a German Protestant theologian and reformer who lived from 1525 to 1597. He was a prominent figure in the Reformation movement and was known for his work in establishing Lutheran churches in the region of Brandenburg.
Another historical figure with the KRUSKE surname was Johann Friedrich Kruske, a German composer and organist who lived from 1698 to 1762. He was known for his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude, a form of organ music based on Lutheran hymns.
In the 19th century, a family by the name of KRUSKE was recorded as living in the town of Königsberg, now known as Kaliningrad, in what was then the Prussian province of East Prussia. This branch of the family included several notable members, such as Karl Kruske, a lawyer and politician who served in the Prussian parliament in the 1840s.
Another notable bearer of the KRUSKE name was Else Kruske, a German writer and feminist who lived from 1888 to 1964. She was known for her works exploring themes of women's rights and social issues, and was an influential figure in the early 20th century women's movement in Germany.
The surname KRUSKE has also been found in various other parts of Europe, including Poland, where it is sometimes spelled as "Kruska." However, its origins and earliest known bearers can be traced back to Germany, where it has a rich and diverse history spanning several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kruske
Among Census respondents with the surname Kruske, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kruske 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 Kruske surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kruske
Kruske appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-7 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,738 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 3,738 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 Kruske 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 | #151,532 | #155,270 | -2.5% |
| Count | 108 | 101 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kruske bearers went from 108 to 101 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 3,738 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #155,270.
FAQ
Kruske surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kruske?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Kruske. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Kruske?
Kruske ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Kruske. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kruske.
Has Kruske become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kruske went from 108 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kruske?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kruske, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Kruske in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kruske appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Kruske (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 Kruske mean?
A surname derived from a Slavic word referring to a tavern or inn keeper. 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 Kruske (0.03 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 Kruske?
You can see how common the surname Kruske is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.