2000
#73,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 247
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Krysa
A surname likely derived from the Czech word for "rat".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 261 Americans carry the last name Krysa. That puts it at #87,624 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,313,235 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krysa 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
261
1 in 1,313,235
Census rank
#87,624
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
228
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 228 bearers of the surname Krysa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87624th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krysa, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krysa
The surname KRYSA originates from Poland, where it first emerged in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Polish word "krysa," meaning "rat," which likely referred to a person's occupation or a distinguishing physical feature.
The earliest known record of the KRYSA surname appears in the 15th century Polish tax rolls and parish registers from the regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland. Similar spellings such as Kryza and Kryska were also found in these historical documents.
In the 16th century, the name KRYSA was documented in the town of Krosno, located in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship of southeastern Poland. A notable bearer of the surname during this time was Jan KRYSA, a merchant and landowner who lived in Krosno from approximately 1525 to 1587.
The KRYSA surname can also be traced back to the village of Kryssowice, near the city of Częstochowa in southern Poland. This place name likely contributed to the development of the surname, as it was common for people to adopt surnames based on their place of origin or residence.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the KRYSA surname continued to be prevalent in various regions of Poland, with records showing individuals bearing the name in cities such as Krakow, Warsaw, and Gdańsk. One notable figure from this period was Andrzej KRYSA (1650-1718), a Catholic priest and theologian who served as the Bishop of Vilnius.
In the 19th century, as Polish immigrants began to settle in other parts of Europe and North America, the KRYSA surname spread beyond its Polish roots. Among the notable bearers of the name during this time was Józef KRYSA (1808-1888), a Polish-born painter and art teacher who worked in Paris, France.
Other individuals of note with the KRYSA surname include Ludwik KRYSA (1876-1941), a Polish engineer and inventor who pioneered the development of early television systems, and Stanisław KRYSA (1890-1945), a Polish military officer who served in World War I and World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krysa
Among Census respondents with the surname Krysa, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Krysa 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 Krysa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.6% · 227
- Two or more races0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krysa
Krysa 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
#81,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 231
-16 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 8,618 places
2020
#87,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 228
-3 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 5,852 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #73,154 | 247 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #81,772 | 231 | 0.08 | -16 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 8,618 places |
| 2020 | #87,624 | 228 | 0.08 | -3 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 5,852 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 Krysa 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 | #81,772 | #87,624 | -7.2% |
| Count | 231 | 228 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.08 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krysa bearers went from 231 to 228 (-1.3% change). The surname moved down 5,852 positions in the national ranking, going from #81,772 to #87,624.
FAQ
Krysa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krysa?
Name Census estimates that about 261 living Americans carry the surname Krysa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,313,235 residents.
How common is Krysa?
Krysa ranks #87,624 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 228 people with the surname Krysa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Krysa.
Has Krysa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krysa went from 231 recorded bearers to 228. That is a decrease of 3 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #81,772 to #87,624.
What does the Census say about the background of Krysa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krysa, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Krysa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.6% (227 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krysa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.6%), Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Krysa (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 Krysa mean?
A surname likely derived from the Czech word for "rat". 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 Krysa (0.08 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 Americans have the surname Krysa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.