2010
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kruthoff
From the Dutch surname meaning "cross bearer" or "one who bears the cross".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Kruthoff. 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 Kruthoff 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 Kruthoff 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 Kruthoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kruthoff
The surname Kruthoff has its origins in the German region of Saxony-Anhalt, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "krut," meaning "herb" or "spice," and the suffix "-hoff," which referred to a farm or estate. This suggests that the name may have originated from a family that cultivated or traded in herbs and spices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kruthoff can be found in the town records of Halberstadt, a city in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, where a certain Hans Kruthoff is mentioned as a merchant in the year 1572. This indicates that the name was already established in the region by that time.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and land registries across Saxony-Anhalt and neighboring regions. For example, a Johann Kruthoff is listed as a landowner in the village of Badersleben in 1637. Additionally, a Margaretha Kruthoff is recorded as having been born in the town of Eisleben in 1682, which was the birthplace of the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach.
One notable individual bearing the Kruthoff surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Kruthoff, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1725 to 1798. He served as a judge and legal advisor in the principality of Anhalt-Zerbst and was known for his contributions to the development of German legal principles.
Another prominent figure with the Kruthoff name was Carl August Kruthoff, a military officer who served in the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1778 in the town of Dessau, he rose through the ranks and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.
In the 19th century, the Kruthoff name spread to other parts of Germany and beyond, with some families emigrating to other European countries and the Americas. For instance, records show a Johann Kruthoff who settled in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia, in the 1830s, where he established a successful import-export business.
While the Kruthoff surname may not be as widely known as some other German surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of Saxony-Anhalt and the surrounding regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kruthoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Kruthoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kruthoff 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 Kruthoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 9
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kruthoff
Kruthoff 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
-19 bearers (-15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,042 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-15.8%) | Down 16,042 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 Kruthoff 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 | #139,228 | #155,270 | -11.5% |
| Count | 120 | 101 | -15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kruthoff bearers went from 120 to 101 (-15.8% change). The surname moved down 16,042 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #155,270.
FAQ
Kruthoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kruthoff?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Kruthoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Kruthoff?
Kruthoff 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 Kruthoff. 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 Kruthoff.
Has Kruthoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kruthoff went from 120 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kruthoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kruthoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Black (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 Kruthoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kruthoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (8.9%), Black (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 Kruthoff (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 Kruthoff mean?
From the Dutch surname meaning "cross bearer" or "one who bears the cross". 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 Kruthoff (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 have the last name Kruthoff?
Want to know how many people are called Kruthoff? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.