# Kruger (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/kruger/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from German [in turn originating as an occupation].

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | German |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 13,898 |
| US rank (2010) | 2,591 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 22,215 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.2% (13,599 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Kreger, Kreeger, Kreoger, Kreuger, Kroeger, Kroger, Krooger, Kröger, Krøger, Krueger |

## Etymology

From German Krüger and Afrikaans Kruger; from German Krüger. Literally, “pub-keeper, tavern-keeper, innkeeper”

## Who carries it

Share of people named Kruger in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 94% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 1.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Kruger in the United States and Germany.

## People named Kruger

- Barbara Kruger, American conceptual artist (born 1945)
- Otto Kruger, American actor (1885-1974)
- Ehren Kruger, American film screenwriter and producer
- Walter Krüger, (1892– 1973) German tank general
- Justin Kruger, American psychologist
- Leondra Kruger, American lawyer and judge

## Similar surnames

Krueger, Krieger, Kroeger, Kreger, Kroger, Kraker, Kircher, Karcher, Kreiser, Krikorian, Kirker, Kroeker.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.