Crouse
An English surname that may have begun as a nickname, though its exact origin is uncertain.
The #2,650 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,705 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Crouse is probably a nickname surname, and some 19th-century writers connected it with a word meaning “cheerful” or “courageous.” That explanation is not certain, however, and the historical record is thin. The name may instead be related to similar surnames such as Crouch or Crowe, or reflect a regional spelling of a comparable nickname.
History
The name appears in English surname lists and later turns up in Britain and, especially, North America. In the United States it became established as a family name and is now most familiar there. Because the documentary evidence is sparse and the older explanations vary, its early history remains somewhat uncertain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century glossary glossed Crouse as meaning “cheerful, courageous,” which is one reason the surname has often been treated as a nickname name.
From the historical record
“D. Kruse; S. Creutz; Dch. Crouse ; G. Krutsch ; p.n. British Surnames”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (1st ed.)