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Kramer History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Kramer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Ireland

The German state of Bavaria is the ancestral home of the Kramer family. Hereditary surnames began to be used in Germany during the 12th century. Kramer is an occupational name for a shopkeeper or retail merchandiser. The name Kramer is derived from the German word "kram," which means "tent" or "trading post."

Early Origins of the Kramer family

The surname Kramer was first found in Bavaria, where the name came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging medieval society. They later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.

Early History of the Kramer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kramer research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1430, 1505, 1568, 1617, 1637, 1705, 1720, 1743, 1745, 1764, 1770, 1771, 1772, 1773, 1780, 1784, 1799, 1801, 1817, 1834 and 1848 are included under the topic Early Kramer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kramer Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Kramer include Kramer, Kraemer, Kremer, Krammer, Kraemmer, Kraymer, Kraymmer, Cramer, Cremer, Crammer and many more.

Early Notables of the Kramer family

Prominent among members of the name Kramer in this period include

Heinrich Kramer (c.1430-1505), German churchman and inquisitor; Ignaz Kramer, known popularly as the "Muenzmeister" (coin-master) of Kremnitz, who was ennobled in 1764 for 48 years of service in the m...
Cramer was a family of German musicians, of whom the head was Jacob Cramer, born at Sachau in Silesia 1705, flutist in the then celebrated band at Mannheim, where he died in 1770. Of his sons, Johann...

Kramer Ranking

In the United States, the name Kramer is the 544^th most popular surname with an estimated 52,227 people with that name. [1] However, in Netherlands, the name Kramer is ranked the 51^st most popular surname with an estimated 15,371 people with that name. [2]

Kramer migration to the United States +

Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Kramer or a variant listed above:

Kramer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andreas Kramer and Hans Kramer, who arrived in Germantown, Pennsylvania sometime between 1683 and 1709
Antonius Kramer, who landed in New York in 1709 [3]
Johannes Kramer, who landed in New York in 1709 [3]
Anthoni Kramer, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 [3]
Jan Kramer, who landed in New York in 1715 [3]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kramer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Conrad Kramer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1802 [3]
Jacob Kramer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1806 [3]
Catharin Kramer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1806 [3]
Anna Kramer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1806 [3]
Heinrich Kramer, aged 28, who arrived in New York, NY in 1832 [3]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kramer Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Karl George Kramer, who arrived in Alabama in 1923 [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Kramer (post 1700) +

Stanley Earl Kramer (1913-2001), famous American motion picture director and producer and president of The Stanley Kramer Corp. of Hollywood, best known for his films are "Judgment at Nuremberg" and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"
Kent Devlin Kramer (1944-2024), American professional football player
Wayne Stanley Kramer (1948-2024), American guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and film and television composer
Roger Kramer (1939-2023), American-born, Canadian Football League (CFL) player who played nine seasons in the CFL
Dennis Arvid Kramer (1992-2023), German-American basketball player who played 188 games in the Basketball Bundesliga
Lawrence Francis "Pat" Kramer Jr. (1933-2023), American politician, Mayor of Paterson, New Jersey from 1967 to 1972 and from 1975 to 1982
Sidney Kramer (1925-2022), American politician, Montgomery County Council (1970-1974)
Edith Kramer (1916-2014), American social realist painter, a follower of psychoanalytic theory and an art therapy pioneer
Paul Jackson Kramer (b. 1904), American noted plant physiologist who became, in 1970, the president of Bioscience Information Services in Philadelphia
Paul Kramer (1933-2020), American Republican Party politician, Member of the New Jersey General Assembly (1992-2000)
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Kramer family +

Bismarck

Heinz Kramer (1916-1941), German Funkmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [4]
Heinrich Kramer (1920-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [4]
Hans-Jürgen Kramer (1920-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking [4]

SS Atlantic

Joseph Kramer, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Margaret Kramer, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Marie Kramer, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

USS Arizona

Mr. Robert Rudolph Kramer, American Gunner's Mate Second Class from Indiana, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking [5]

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html