Show ContentsKranz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Kranz surname comes from the Old High German "cranz" meaning "garland" or "wreath," and was most likely originally an occupational name for a wreath maker.

Early Origins of the Kranz family

The surname Kranz was first found in various parts of the Holy Roman Empire. There is a reference from the year 1308 of Berthold Krantz, who was then serving as "Ratsherr" (councilor) in the city of Strassburg. A Johan Crenzelin is on record in 1288 in Worms and a bearer of Krenzelmacherin is on record in Prague in 1403.

Early History of the Kranz family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kranz research. Another 24 words (2 lines of text) covering the year 1583 is included under the topic Early Kranz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kranz Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Kranz, Kranze, Krantz, Kranzler, Kranzlbinder, Kranzberg, Kranzle, Krenzel, Krenzle, Kräntz, Kränzler, Kränzle, Kränzel, Kränzl, Crenzelin, Kranzbuhler, Kranzbühler and many more.

Early Notables of the Kranz family

More information is included under the topic Early Kranz Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kranz Ranking

In the United States, the name Kranz is the 5,910th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [1]


United States Kranz migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kranz Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Vallendin Kranz, who arrived at the port of Philadelphia in 1738
  • Henrich Kranz, who was a Hessian soldier in the American War for Independence, recorded in 1780
Kranz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Carl Kranz, who arrived at Baltimore in 1834 at the age of 13
  • William Kranz, aged 27, who landed in Missouri in 1844 [2]
  • Mr. Theod. Kranz, aged 15, who arrived in New Orleans in 1845 aboard the ship "Agnes"
  • Reinh Kranz, who arrived in America in 1849 [2]
  • Joh Phil Kranz, who landed in America in 1850 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kranz (post 1700) +

  • Francis Elliott "Fran" Kranz (b. 1981), American actor
  • Eugene Francis "Gene" Kranz (b. 1933), American retired Director of Mission Operations at NASA, who oversaw the first manned moon mission and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • James P. Kranz Jr., American lawyer, Director of the Pioneer Fund (1948)
  • Tom Kranz, American lawyer, and officer in the United States Navy
  • Markus Kranz (b. 1969), German football coach and a former player
  • George Kranz, German dance music singer and percussionist
  • Jacob ben Wolf Kranz, Lithuania (Belarus)-born preacher


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


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