Krause Coat of Arms & Family Crest
Where the Krause name began, what it means, and where it was first recorded.
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Origin of the Krause name
Krause is a German nickname for a person with curly hair, from Middle High German krus, "curly, frizzy". It is especially common in northern and eastern Germany, including the former Prussian provinces of Silesia and Pomerania, and is among the more frequent German surnames.
Curly hair and eastern Germany
Krause is a nickname surname from Middle High German krūs, "curly", for a man with curly hair; Wikipedia also glosses it as "ruffle". Krause, Kraus and Krauss are its main forms, with Krause the northern and eastern one.
Its geography is clear. Forebears estimates about 151,000 bearers in Germany, ranking it 26th nationally, and Wikipedia's state figures show the highest density in Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin. The United States has around 48,000 by Forebears' estimate, and the 2010 Census counted 34,722 (ranked 1,009th). There are also Krause communities in Brazil, Poland and South Africa.
Our historical archives hold much more on the Krause name: dates, names and records of early bearers.
This overview covers the Krause name in Germany. We also hold records of the name in other countries, such as the United States, Poland and Canada; your full pack is researched for your family's country of origin.
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Your full Krause pack adds the researched history, early records and migration. Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Krause coat of arms for you.
Krause name FAQ
What does the Krause name mean?
Curly-haired. Common variants include Kraus, Krauss, Kruse.
Where does the Krause surname come from?
It originates in Germany, and is also found in the United States, Poland and Canada.
Is there a Krause coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals, not whole surnames, so there is no single Krause crest. Herald Lab paints a personalized Krause coat of arms based on historic heraldry.
What does Krause mean?
Curly-haired, from the German word kraus.
Are Kraus and Krause the same surname?
They come from the same word; Kraus is more southern German and Austrian, Krause more northern and eastern.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Duden Familiennamen; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford). Facts and figures: Forebears surname distribution (estimates); US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file; Wikipedia, "Krause". Forebears figures are modelled estimates, rounded.