2000
#474
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,023
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.36
Uncommon Last name
Kramer
A German occupational surname referring to a shopkeeper or merchant, derived from the Middle High German word "kram".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 69,893 Americans carry the last name Kramer. That puts it at #547 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,904 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kramer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kramer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
70K
1 in 4,904
Census rank
#547
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
61K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 60,950 bearers of the surname Kramer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 547th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kramer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kramer
The surname Kramer has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Middle High German word "kram," which means a merchant or trader, particularly one who dealt in small goods or wares. The name likely originated in the regions of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kramer can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Petri Salisburgensis, a 9th-century manuscript from the Monastery of St. Peter in Salzburg, Austria. This suggests that the name was already in use during the Carolingian period.
In the 11th century, the name Kramer appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This indicates that individuals bearing the name had already migrated to England by that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Kramer throughout history include Hendrik Kramer (c. 1430-1505), a Dutch Renaissance painter known for his religious works; Matthias Kramer (1640-1718), a German Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Ingolstadt; and Johann Kramer (1676-1737), a German composer and organist active in the late Baroque period.
In the 19th century, Joseph Kramer (1806-1875) was an Austrian Catholic priest and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Vienna. Adolf Kramer (1832-1911) was a German industrialist and engineer who founded the Kramer Machine Factory, a leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Kramer was the American actor and comedian, Henny Kramer (1911-1973), known for his roles in films such as "The Apartment" and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."
While the surname Kramer has its roots in the German-speaking regions of Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, as a result of migration and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kramer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kramer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kramer 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 Kramer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 56,310
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,960
- Two or more races2.8% · 1,724
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 501
- Black or African American0.4% · 274
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 181
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kramer
Kramer 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
#526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,936
+913 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 21.67
Rank movement Down 52 places
2020
#547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 60,950
-2,986 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 20.39
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #474 | 63,023 | 23.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #526 | 63,936 | 21.67 | +913 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 52 places |
| 2020 | #547 | 60,950 | 20.39 | -2,986 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 21 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 Kramer 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 | #526 | #547 | -4.0% |
| Count | 63,936 | 60,950 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 21.67 | 20.39 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kramer bearers went from 63,936 to 60,950 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #526 to #547.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kramer
FAQ
Kramer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kramer?
Name Census estimates that about 69,893 living Americans carry the surname Kramer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,904 residents.
How common is Kramer?
Kramer ranks #547 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 60,950 people with the surname Kramer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (69,893), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Kramer.
Has Kramer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kramer went from 63,936 recorded bearers to 60,950. That is a decrease of 2,986 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #526 to #547.
What does the Census say about the background of Kramer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kramer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kramer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (56,310 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kramer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Kramer (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 Kramer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a shopkeeper or merchant, derived from the Middle High German word "kram". 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 Kramer (20.39 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 Kramer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.