Kraemer
An occupational surname for a shopkeeper or small dealer, from German words for a retail merchant.
The #4,592 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,962 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kraemer comes from German Krämer, meaning a small merchant, shopkeeper, or petty trader. It goes back to Middle High German kræmer / krämaere and Old High German chramäri, all referring to retail trade rather than wholesale commerce. In older usage, the word often meant a dealer in small goods or a pedlar.
History
The surname developed as a trade name in German-speaking areas, where occupational bynames became hereditary family names. It is also widely found in spelling variants such as Kramer and Cramer, especially where umlauts were simplified or replaced in records. In the United States, Kraemer is one of several German surname spellings preserved by immigrant families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Historical German sources contrast a Krämer with a Kaufmann: the Krämer was the small-scale retailer, while the Kaufmann suggested a wholesale merchant.
From the historical record
“Krämer in. ahd. chramäri, mhd. krämaere, krftmer , kraemer der „Erämer'*, Eleinhändler, im Gegensatz zum „Eaufmann'*, der mehr den Großhändler bezeichnet. Dem Erämer fiel zum Handel alles anheim, was „Pfen- nigsgewerbe" war. (Schon 1175 Chunrad Chramar).”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen