2000
#39,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 517
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Very Rare Last name
Krienke
A surname indicating a person from the village of Krien in Switzerland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 593 Americans carry the last name Krienke. That puts it at #44,679 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 578,001 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Krienke 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
593
1 in 578,001
Census rank
#44,679
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
517
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 517 bearers of the surname Krienke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44679th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Krienke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Krienke
The surname Krienke is of German origin and traces its roots back to the late medieval period in central Europe. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Krinne," which means a small stream or rivulet, suggesting that the name may have originally been a descriptive term used to identify someone who lived near such a water source.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Krienke can be found in the Bavarian town of Augsburg, where a certain Matthäus Krienke is mentioned in a church record from the year 1492. It is likely that the name had already been in use for several generations by that point.
In the 16th century, the Krienke family appeared to have spread across various regions of Germany, with records indicating their presence in cities like Leipzig, Nuremberg, and Cologne. During this time, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Krienke, Krienken, and Kriencke.
One notable figure bearing the Krienke surname was Johann Krienke, a merchant and trader who lived in the city of Hamburg in the late 1600s. His business dealings and travels contributed to the further dissemination of the name across northern Germany and the neighboring regions.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Krienke family settled in the duchy of Pomerania, where they established themselves as landowners and farmers. One of their descendants, Friedrich Krienke (1768-1845), became a respected local magistrate and played a significant role in the political affairs of the region.
Another prominent individual with the Krienke surname was Wilhelm Krienke (1805-1879), a German artist and painter who gained recognition for his landscapes and historical scenes. His works can be found in several museums and private collections across Europe.
As the 19th century progressed, the Krienke name continued to spread, with members of the family immigrating to other parts of Europe and even venturing across the Atlantic to the Americas. One such individual was Hans Krienke (1832-1910), who settled in the United States and became a successful businessman in the city of Chicago.
While the Krienke surname may not have achieved widespread fame or notoriety throughout history, it has endured as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Germany and the perseverance of those who bore this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Krienke
Among Census respondents with the surname Krienke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Krienke 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 Krienke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 474
- Two or more races4.4% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 8
- Black or African American1.0% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Krienke
Krienke 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
#39,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 553
+36 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 229 places
2020
#44,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 517
-36 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Down 4,962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,946 | 517 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,717 | 553 | 0.19 | +36 bearers (+7.0%) | Up 229 places |
| 2020 | #44,679 | 517 | 0.17 | -36 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 4,962 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 Krienke 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 | #39,717 | #44,679 | -12.5% |
| Count | 553 | 517 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.17 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Krienke bearers went from 553 to 517 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 4,962 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,717 to #44,679.
FAQ
Krienke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Krienke?
Name Census estimates that about 593 living Americans carry the surname Krienke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 578,001 residents.
How common is Krienke?
Krienke ranks #44,679 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 517 people with the surname Krienke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (593), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Krienke.
Has Krienke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Krienke went from 553 recorded bearers to 517. That is a decrease of 36 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #39,717 to #44,679.
What does the Census say about the background of Krienke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Krienke, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Krienke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (474 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Krienke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Krienke (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 Krienke mean?
A surname indicating a person from the village of Krien in Switzerland. 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 Krienke (0.17 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 common is the surname Krienke?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Krienke? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.