The Kruse surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 20,584 people carried this name — #1,741 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 14,300 people counted. That is up 3% from 20,019 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Kruse surname

A nickname for curly hair, or an occupational name for a maker of jugs.

A nickname from Middle Low German krūs (“curly”); or an occupational nickname from Middle High German kruse (“jug”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (de.wiktionary.org, the German edition) — entry «Kruse», by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · translated from German and condensed.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 289 people named Kruse live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Misiones.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Misiones 76
Chubut 74
Buenos Aires Province 69
Santa Fe 56
City of Buenos Aires 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

230 people named Kruse live in Switzerland.

They live in 17 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Zurich 62
Thurgau 29
Aargau 27
Bern 27
St. Gallen 20
Graubünden 12
Schwyz 7
Schaffhausen 6

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 44 people named Kruse.

20 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 10 départements, most often Moselle.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 20
Moselle 11
Paris 3
Eure 2
Haut-Rhin 2
Territoire de Belfort 1
Vienne 1
Bas-Rhin 1
Isère 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

30 people named Kruse have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 86 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 6 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Pomeranian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Pomeranian 10
West Pomeranian 7
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 6
Greater Poland 3
Masovian 2
Silesian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

1,522 people named Kruse are counted in Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 1,054
Norway (2025) 445
Finland (2026) 23

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0 · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Kruse in American newspapers,
1912–1921.

Newspaper page from The Southern Herald carrying the name Kruse
The Southern Herald 1912-07-19
Newspaper page from Tensas Gazette carrying the name Kruse
Tensas Gazette 1912-06-21
Newspaper page from Great Falls Tribune carrying the name Kruse
Great Falls Tribune 1921-03-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 29,910 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Kruse in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

10,380 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kruse. The most, 2,532, date from the 1880s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 5,308
New South Wales 1,983
South Australia 1,657
Queensland 609
Western Australia 586
Tasmania 206
ACT (Canberra) 16
Northern Territory 5

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kruse.

Who carried it

People named Kruse,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Nils Jespersson Kruse d. 1574 · military personnel
  • Ywan wan Kruse d. 1764 · military personnel
  • Ywan wan Kruse d. 1764 · military personnel
  • Heinrich Kruse d. 1651 · printer
  • Sigvard Algotson Kruse, 1.Lord of Elghammar & Vestergaarden d. 1571 · civil servant
  • Lauritz Tygesen Kruse d. 1609 · feudatory

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kruse,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States4,658 records

4,658 records of the Kruse name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 2,846
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 684
  • Other U.S. records 1,128
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record August W. Kruse

    Born 1917 in Wisconsin. Enlisted 1943 at Milwaukee; payroll clerk from Waupaca County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1979, buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Eleonore Kruse

    Arrived at New York in 1852 aboard the Espindola from Bremen, aged 35; farmer. From Frille, Germany; bound for Indiana.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Paul Harlan Kruse

    Born 1949; from Winnebago, Minnesota. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 4,658 records for Kruse in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Germany3,462 records

3,462 records of the Kruse name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 3,456
  • German emigration and citizenship files 6
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hermann Kruse

    Born 1897; from Harsleben, Halberstadt. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 5 April 1917; then reported missing in the list of 2 December 1918 (Infantry Regiment No. 27).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Gottfried Kruse

    Emigrated to the United States in 1858.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Brandenburgisches Landeshauptarchiv (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hermann Kruse

    Born 1886; from Grömin, Grimmen. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 3 December 1918 (Infantry Regiment No. 359).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 3,462 records for Kruse in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Netherlands2,841 records

2,841 records of the Kruse name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1,544
  • Dutch population registers 1,261
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 36
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Enneken Kruse

    Married in 1896 in Hengelo; factory worker. Died 1915 in Hengelo, aged 50.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johann Bernard Hermann Kruse

    Married in 1863 in Amsterdam; merchant. Died 1894 in Texel, aged 60.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jan Kruse

    Married in 1905 in Assen; sergeant. Died 1942 in Assen, aged 63.

    Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,841 records for Kruse in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Australia275 records

275 records of the Kruse name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 125
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 56
  • Other Australian records 94
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Henry Kruse

    Born 1910 in Southbridge, Tasmania. Died 1936 in Tasmania, aged 25.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mare Kruse

    Arrived in Victoria in 1864 aboard the Overmann, aged 29; German.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Brian J. Kruse

    Laborer of Lavington, Victoria; died 1952.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 275 records for Kruse in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Norway159 records

159 records of the Kruse name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Hanna Fredrikke Kruse

    Census of 1910: Drammensvn, Kristiania; cook, born 1865 in Brathvær Smølen.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Vilhelm Kruse

    Census of 1910: Kong Oscarsgate, Bergen; casual labourer, born 1854 in Bergen.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Johan Kruse

    Census of 1910: Tanagaard, tuberkulosehjem, Tanen; fisherman, born 1879 in Korsfjord.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 159 records for Kruse in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France19 records

19 records of the Kruse name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Manfred Roger Othon Kruse

    Born 1940 in Amnéville; died 1989 in Thionville (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Angela Kruse

    Born 1920 in Germany; died 1999 in Besançon (Doubs).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charles Nicolas Othon Kruse

    Born 1901 in Thionville (Moselle); died 1973 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Kruse in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Canada17 records

17 records of the Kruse name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 6
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 5
  • Other Canadian records 6
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Axel Kruse

    Died 1999, aged 88; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Rae William Joseph Kruse

    Died 1978; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 2 of 17 records for Kruse in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kruse.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kruse is.
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Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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