Surname Kräbs - Meaning and Origin
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Kräbs: What does the surname Kräbs mean?
The last name Kräbs is of German origin, and it is derived from the Middle High German word "krabe," meaning "crab." It is believed that it was originally a nickname given to someone who was either crabby or irritable, or possibly someone who had a crooked or crab-like gait. This last name could also have been given to someone who was a fisherman, as crabs were a common source of food in many parts of Germany in the Middle Ages.
The spelling of the surname may vary, and alternatives to Kräbs include Krapp, Kraebs, Kraut, Krapp, Krapf, and Krappfe. It is also found in other European countries, such as Austria and Switzerland.
Today, Kräbs is a relatively uncommon surname; it is estimated to be shared by fewer than 1,000 people in the United States. This may be due to emigration patterns and name changing practices. The name is likely to have been somewhat more common in its places of origin in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Order DNA origin analysisKräbs: Where does the name Kräbs come from?
The last name Kräbs is most commonly found in Germany today. According to family history websites, Kräbs is an occupational surname which originated in Bavaria. It means “Carter”, and likely stems from the Old German karap meaning “cart” or “wagon.”
The earliest record of the Kräbs name dates back to at least 1625. During this period, a man named Christofü Kräbe was a Catholic priest in a small town in Bavaria, Germany.
Today, Kräbs is a fairly common surname not only in Germany, but also in other countries with a significant German population, including Austria, Switzerland, and the United States. According to MyHeritage, approximately 3,700 people have the last name Kräbs living in Germany today. This number is likely to be much higher, given that this data doesn't include many of those who are living outside of Germany or who have since changed their last name.
In terms of distribution across Germany, Kräbs is most common in the state of Brandenburg. It is, however, distributed across all of Germany's states, with a particularly strong presence in Bavaria.
Overall, it appears that the last name Kräbs is still well represented and widely distributed in Germany today. Its presence in other countries and states, however, is much more scattered, suggesting that the name is slowly dying down.
Variations of the surname Kräbs
Kräbs is a surname with Germanic roots primarily found in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and other parts of Europe. The variants and spellings of the same origin for Kräbs are Kraems, Krahe, Krahl, Krahlmacher, Kraems/Krahe, Krebs, Krehbiel, Krehbühl, Krehsel, Kreisel, Kreutzer, Kreysel, Krezer, Kreß, Kriesel, Krimmel, Krippel, Kriß/Kroemer, Kromer, Kron, Krubel, Krübel, Krüger, Krumbel, and Krumbiegel.
In German, the surname Kräbs is also written Kroemer or Kremer, and in Switzerland, it is spelled Krehbühl. Other variants include Krömer, Krönbuel, and Kroeber in some regions. In Austria, the surname is sometimes spelled Krahlmacher. In some Slavic-speaking countries, a variant of this surname is spelled Kremar or Kremarz.
Kräbs is an occupational name meaning "merchant." Its origin is from the Middle High German word "cremere," which refers to a merchant who bought and sold goods. It is derived from the Old High German word “kram,” meaning "trade."
Variations of Kräbs include Krabes, Kraems, Krömmel, Krammer, Krampf, Kraus, Kresches, and Kröppel. These are mostly found in Germany and Austria. In some English-speaking countries, it is also spelled as Krebs or Krabs.
In many Slavic-speaking countries, including Poland and Ukraine, the surname Kräbs is spelled Kremer. In other parts of the world, the name is spelled more phonetically as Kramer or Kremer.
In French, the surname is pronounced Cravin, and in Spanish, it is pronounced Crespo. In the Netherlands, it is spelled Kramers, and in Italy, it is spelled Crebbe. In Scandinavia, it is pronounced Krebs.
No matter the variation or region, all of these spellings are derived from Kräbs and ultimately trace back to the same ancestral origins.
Famous people with the name Kräbs
- Tarmo Kräbs: Estonian singer and record label owner.
- Reimar Kräbs: German film and television actor.
- Olaf Kräbs: German Catholic theologian.
- Karin Kräbs: German political scientist.
- Katharina Kräbs: German actress.
- Reinhard Kräbs: German theologian, former President of the Protestant Academy of Loccum.
- Maximilian Kräbs: Austrian film producer, director, and screenwriter.
- Friedrich Kräbs: German mathematician and physicist.
- Andreas Kräbs: German boxer.
- Andreas Kräbs: East German sprint canoer.
- Ekkehart Kräbs: German lawyer and politician.
- Claus Kräbs: German painter and graphic artist.
- Agostino Kräbs: Italian chemist.
- Bernhard Kräbs: Prussian civil servant, court and chamber official.
- Helmut Kräbs: German chemist.
- Wolf-Christian Kräbs: German politician.
- Ulf Kräbs: German sculptor.
- Julius Kräbs: German mathematician.
- Sigismund Kräbs: German justice of the peace.
- Günter Kräbs: Estonian writer.