Kranz
A German surname most often from the word for a wreath, garland, or crown.
The #6,589 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 60,056 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kranz comes from German kranz, meaning a wreath, garland, or crown. In surname use it was probably first a descriptive byname, often for someone associated with garlands, festive wear, or a signboard image. Some 19th-century writers also connected it with older place-names or with related forms such as Rosenkranz, but the basic sense of "wreath/crown" is the clearest explanation.
History
The name is well attested in German-speaking areas and was especially noted by older surname scholars in southern Germany. It also appears in compounds and related surnames such as Maikrantz and Rosenkranz. In some cases it may overlap with local or house-name origins, but as a family name it is generally treated as German and descriptive.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books grouped Kranz with a set of vivid German names taken from everyday objects, ornaments, and festive symbols.
From the historical record
“dabei gebrauchten Geräten entlehnt sind. Danxglock, Schombart (Maske), Glückrad ^ Kranz, Mailcranx und Grünenmy, Rosenkranz, Kttttruf (eines der im 15.— 16. Jahrhundert äußerst zahlreichen Trinkgefäße). Diese Namen stammen besonders aus Süddeutsch- land, wo überhaupt mehr leichtlebiger Frohsinn als im Norden…”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen