Surname Kramers - Meaning and Origin
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Kramers: What does the surname Kramers mean?
The last name Kramers is of German and Jewish origin, and derives from the word "Kramer". In German, the word Kramer means "merchant" or "trader". A person with this last name would have likely come from a family whose ancestors included merchants or tradespeople, as evidenced by the history of the surname.
Kramers is a fairly common surname in Germany, and historically, it was most likely adopted by families within the lower-classes. This likely means that those with the last name Kramers have ancestors who may have worked in the trades such as being a baker, blacksmith, or carpenter.
The use of the name Kramers later expanded among Jews who had migrated to Germany. Therefore, individuals with the last name Kramers may have had ancestors who were Jewish. In this case, the word "Kramer" would have also held religious connotations, referring to the Jewish traders and merchants in medieval Germany.
Over the years, the use of the last name Kramers has spread outside of Germany as many people with this name have migrated to other countries. In recent decades, the name Kramers has become more common worldwide, and is now found in many countries.
Order DNA origin analysisKramers: Where does the name Kramers come from?
The last name Kramers is a fairly common German surname. Today, it can be found throughout Europe, especially in countries with German-speaking populations such as Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. It's also quite common in the United States, with the largest numbers of Kramers living in New York, California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.
In German-speaking countries, Kramers is an occupational surname, deriving from the word "kramen," meaning to trade or retail. This indicates that early Kramers were merchants and tradespeople.
This can be seen in the Netherlands, where the name Kramers is found most frequently in the Veluwe region, home to the commercial city of Arnhem until the 17th century.
In Britain and Ireland, Kramers came to the region with the Huguenot refugees in the 1600s and 1700s. As many of these were merchants, they brought the surname with them.
It is likely that the Kramers family also spread to other parts of the world like Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada as part of large-scale migration during the 19th century.
Today, the last name Kramers is a common one, found in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada. Those with the last name Kramers can now trace their roots to a merchant past, and likely still have relatives in all the countries that the surname has spread to.
Variations of the surname Kramers
The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Kramers include Kramer, Kraemer, Craemer, Cramer, Kreymer, Kremers, Kramers and Krammer.
Kramer is the variation of the surname most commonly found in Dutch-speaking nations. It is believed to be derived from the Germanic given name ‘Kramar’, which means ‘merchant’. One theory suggests the word may actually be of Dutch origin and may mean ‘known’ or ‘renowned’.
Variations of the above with a ‘C’ added, such as Craemer and Cramer, may be reflective of the German spelling of the name and the Americanisation of the name during the 1800s and 1900s.
Kreymer is the most common Jewish variation of the name. It is believed to be derived from the Yiddish Kreymkraemer, which in turn derives either from Dutch or German for ‘merchant’ or ‘vendor’.
Kremers is the Dutch version of Kramers. It is usually found in The Netherlands.
Kramers and Krammer may be considered to be the simplest spelling of the name, which has been popularised due to the ease of pronunciation.
Famous people with the name Kramers
- Hank Kramer : Hank Kramer is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who had a strong eight-year career in the 1990s. He was most recently a pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels.
- Michael Kramer: Michael Kramer is a television producer, director, and network executive. He was the executive producer of the Fox series Glee and co-executive producer of the series Bones.
- Heidi Kramer: Heidi Kramer is a professional musical theater actress. She has appeared in productions such as Gypsy, Chicago, and Fiddler on the Roof.
- Bruce Kramer: Bruce Kramer is an award-winning author who has written several books on the topic of living with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).
- Andrew Kramer: Andrew Kramer is a digital film director and graphic designer. He is the founder of the video production company Video Copilot, which creates visual effects for film and video projects.
- Jake Kramer: Jake Kramer is a professional golfer on the PGA Tour Canada. He has had several top-10 finishes in tour competitions.
- Willie Kramer: Willie Kramer is an American country music artist and songwriter. He is best known for his singles "Bend in the River" and "Til I'm Gone".
- David Kramer: David Kramer is a South African singer-songwriter and political satirist. Kramer has released several albums, including Living Apart Together: Songs from District Six, which won a South African Music Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.
- Jeffrey Kramer: Jeffrey Kramer is an American actor known for his roles in The Goonies, Grease 2, and A Christmas Story.
- John Kramer: John Kramer is an American serial killer known as the "Jigsaw Killer" or "Jigsaw" from the horror movie Saw.