Krause

also Kraus, Krauss

'The curly-haired one'.

Origin: German
Register: German family

The seat of Krause

Seat vacant

Chief

No one leads the Krause community yet. When the movement opens, you can stand for its leadership, or help elect whoever does.

Current mission

No shared goal set yet. Once Krause has leadership, it sets the public focus: a restoration, a gathering, a real-world project that helps its own.

The Krause clan is being rebuilt. Join the waiting list for the movement today, and you help decide who leads it and what it does.

Help rebuild the Krause clan →

What does the Krause name mean?

Descriptive, Middle High German krūs, curly, for the man with curly hair. Thickest in the German east; the south prefers the bare Kraus.

The history of Krause

Among the homeliest of by-names, Krause simply fixed a man by his curls, and like the other plain descriptive surnames it is commonest in the eastern German lands.

Kraus and Krause carried worldwide with the eastern emigration; the Viennese satirist Karl Kraus, scourge of the press and the language of his age, is among the name's sharpest bearers.

The castles of the homeland

The great strongholds of the homeland, look one up, see what it looked like in its prime, and recreate it to explore.

Neuschwanstein CastleStill standing · prime 1886

Hohenzollern CastleRestored · prime 1867

Eltz CastleStill standing · prime 1615

All castles in Germany → · Strongest castles in Germany → · Castles of Europe

Play As Your Clan

Explore history as a KrauseStart your story →

Hold a real castle against whatever you choose to send at it, take a ship out in her own service years, or stand at the shoulder of someone the record remembers. The chronicler sets the scene; the deeds are yours.

Frequently asked

What does the surname Krause mean?

Descriptive, Middle High German krūs, curly, for the man with curly hair. Thickest in the German east; the south prefers the bare Kraus. Among the homeliest of by-names, Krause simply fixed a man by his curls, and like the other plain descriptive surnames it is commonest in the eastern German lands.

Is Krause German or Austrian?

Krause is a German surname; its home on this atlas is German, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated. The name belongs to the German language tree and is carried across the whole German-speaking world, Germany, Austria and Switzerland alike, so an Austrian family bearing it shares the same root.

How old is the Krause surname?

Among the homeliest of by-names, Krause simply fixed a man by his curls, and like the other plain descriptive surnames it is commonest in the eastern German lands. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Krause name took its modern form within that long settlement.

What is the Krause family known for?

'The curly-haired one'. Among the homeliest of by-names, Krause simply fixed a man by his curls, and like the other plain descriptive surnames it is commonest in the eastern German lands.

Is there a Krause family crest or coat of arms?

There is no single coat of arms that belongs to everyone named Krause. Heraldic arms were granted to individuals and descend through specific documented lines, so a "family crest" matched to a surname alone is decorative rather than genealogical.

Is Kraus the same family as Krause?

Yes. Kraus is a historical spelling variant of the Krause name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.

Is Krauss the same family as Krause?

Yes. Krauss is a historical spelling variant of the Krause name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.

Where is the Krause surname found today?

German is the primary historical home of the Krause surname. In the modern era, the name is also borne across the wider diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where families carry the line of descent from the same German origin recorded on this page.

What does the Clan Rising page for the Krause family cover?

The Clan Rising page for the Krause family covers the meaning of the surname, the historical geography of the name and the seat of the head of the family. Each section is linked to the underlying atlas of German so the name can be read in the geography that shaped it.

Who is the head of the Krause family today?

The seat for the head of the Krause family is currently vacant on this register. Clan Rising is rebuilding the chief and family structure for the modern era, and the family page allows readers to claim the seat or pledge to the name.