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KRAUS Origin of surname

KRAUS, KRAUSZ, KRAUSE, KRAUSHAAR

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This Jewish family name derives from a physical or personal characteristic or nickname.

Kraus is derived from the German word for "curly" or "curly head". It was a popular belief that curly haired people were quick-tempered, as were the Cohanim ("priests") of biblical Israel. Many families took names associated with curly to denote priestly lineage, others because they had curly hair.

Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Kraus include the Austrian writer Karl Kraus (1874-1936), editor of the influential review 'Die Fackel', and the 19th/20th century Austrian bacteriologist Rudolph Kraus. Krause is recorded as a Jewish family name in the early 20th century with the German soldiers Max, Oskar, Siegfried and Theodor Krause, who died in World War I. In the 20th century, the Hungarian spelling variant Krausz is recorded as a Jewish family name during World War II with Andor Krausz, who was deported from the Hungarian county of Hajdu to a German death camp in June 1944.

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KRAUS Origin of surname

KRAUS, KRAUSZ, KRAUSE, KRAUSHAAR

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This Jewish family name derives from a physical or personal characteristic or nickname.

Kraus is derived from the German word for "curly" or "curly head". It was a popular belief that curly haired people were quick-tempered, as were the Cohanim ("priests") of biblical Israel. Many families took names associated with curly to denote priestly lineage, others because they had curly hair.

Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Kraus include the Austrian writer Karl Kraus (1874-1936), editor of the influential review 'Die Fackel', and the 19th/20th century Austrian bacteriologist Rudolph Kraus. Krause is recorded as a Jewish family name in the early 20th century with the German soldiers Max, Oskar, Siegfried and Theodor Krause, who died in World War I. In the 20th century, the Hungarian spelling variant Krausz is recorded as a Jewish family name during World War II with Andor Krausz, who was deported from the Hungarian county of Hajdu to a German death camp in June 1944.

Written by researchers of ANU Museum of the Jewish People