2000
#11,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,571
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Straus
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the German word "struss," meaning "ostrich" or "bouquet."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,713 Americans carry the last name Straus. That puts it at #12,508 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,338 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Straus 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
2.7K
1 in 126,338
Census rank
#12,508
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,366 bearers of the surname Straus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12508th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Straus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Straus
The surname Straus has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "Strausse," which means "ostrich." The name likely referred to a person who worked with or traded in ostrich feathers or ostrich products.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Straus appears in a document from the city of Cologne in 1275, where a certain "Johannes Straus" is mentioned. The name was also found in various medieval records from other German cities, such as Nuremberg and Frankfurt.
In the 16th century, the Straus family rose to prominence in the city of Strasbourg, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. One notable member of this family was Johann Straus (1522-1581), a successful merchant and city councilor.
The name Straus also has a historical connection to the Alsace region of France, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire during the medieval period. In the 17th century, several Straus families migrated from Alsace to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Straus was Johann Straus (1804-1849), an Austrian composer and violinist who is considered the father of the Viennese waltz. His son, Johann Strauss II (1825-1899), was an even more renowned composer and is best known for works such as "The Blue Danube" and "Tales from the Vienna Woods."
Another notable figure was Isidor Straus (1845-1912), an American businessman and co-owner of the Macy's department store chain. He and his wife Ida perished on the RMS Titanic when it sank in 1912.
The Straus family also played a significant role in the history of Germany and Europe. One example is David Straus (1808-1870), a German-Jewish politician and advocate for Jewish emancipation in Prussia.
Over the centuries, the surname Straus has been spelled in various ways, including Strauss, Strausse, and Strauß, reflecting regional differences in language and orthography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Straus
Among Census respondents with the surname Straus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Straus 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 Straus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,157
- Black or African American3.0% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 64
- Two or more races1.8% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Straus
Straus 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
#12,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,533
-38 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 993 places
2020
#12,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,366
-167 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 232 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,283 | 2,571 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,276 | 2,533 | 0.86 | -38 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 993 places |
| 2020 | #12,508 | 2,366 | 0.79 | -167 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 232 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 Straus 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 | #12,276 | #12,508 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,533 | 2,366 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.79 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Straus bearers went from 2,533 to 2,366 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 232 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,276 to #12,508.
FAQ
Straus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Straus?
Name Census estimates that about 2,713 living Americans carry the surname Straus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,338 residents.
How common is Straus?
Straus ranks #12,508 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,366 people with the surname Straus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,713), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Straus.
Has Straus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Straus went from 2,533 recorded bearers to 2,366. That is a decrease of 167 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,276 to #12,508.
What does the Census say about the background of Straus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Straus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Straus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,157 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Straus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Black (3.0%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Straus (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 Straus mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the German word "struss," meaning "ostrich" or "bouquet." 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 Straus (0.79 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 surname Straus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.