Kratz
A German surname often linked to a nickname for someone scratchy, prickly, or otherwise “raspy” in manner or appearance.
The #6,490 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 59,022 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kratz is most plausibly from German krazen/kratzen, “to scratch,” with the surname arising as a nickname. In that kind of formation, it could have referred to a person with a rough, scratchy voice, a prickly temperament, or some other noticeable “scratching” association. The historical sources supplied here do not give a full standalone entry for Kratz, but they treat it alongside other German nickname forms, which fits this explanation.
History
The surname is found in German-speaking areas and later appears in immigrant communities elsewhere, especially in the United States. Related forms and spellings were often grouped with other German names beginning with Kr- in older onomastic lists. Because the excerpted sources only mention Kratz incidentally, the exact local development is less certain than for some better-documented surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same German root behind Kratz also appears in everyday words about scratching or scraping, which is why the name feels especially vivid as a nickname surname.
From the historical record
“Vklf. Kränxlein — Kränxl, Kratz-, Krätzel s. Pancratius. Kraume s. Hrom. Kraus, Kranß III. 1) s. Erause 2) der „Erug**; so namentlich in der Zss. Stein- krau fs „Steinkrug*.”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen