NameCensus.

UK surname

Krebs

A German occupational surname referring to a crab fisherman or seller, or a person with a crooked gait.

In the 1881 census there were 26 people recorded with the Krebs surname, ranking it #29,911 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 139, ranked #25,001, up from #29,911 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Riding of Yorkshire and Kingston upon Hull.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Krebs is 155 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 434.6%.

1881 census count

26

Ranked #29,911

Modern count

139

2016, ranked #25,001

Peak year

2000

155 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Krebs had 26 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,911 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 139 in 2016, ranked #25,001.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 53 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Krebs surname distribution map

The map shows where the Krebs surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Krebs surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Krebs over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2 #33,133
1861 historical 7 #33,053
1881 historical 26 #29,911
1891 historical 40 #31,174
1901 historical 46 #29,047
1911 historical 53 #27,508
1997 modern 136 #22,398
1998 modern 138 #22,814
1999 modern 138 #22,983
2000 modern 155 #21,341
2001 modern 149 #21,568
2002 modern 153 #21,609
2003 modern 137 #22,939
2004 modern 133 #23,528
2005 modern 127 #24,178
2006 modern 134 #23,590
2007 modern 134 #23,931
2008 modern 132 #24,476
2009 modern 135 #24,594
2010 modern 139 #24,688
2011 modern 137 #24,716
2012 modern 137 #24,731
2013 modern 137 #25,149
2014 modern 137 #25,345
2015 modern 142 #24,617
2016 modern 139 #25,001

Geography

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Where Krebs' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Riding of Yorkshire and Kingston upon Hull. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Riding of Yorkshire 040 East Riding of Yorkshire
2 East Riding of Yorkshire 041 East Riding of Yorkshire
3 East Riding of Yorkshire 032 East Riding of Yorkshire
4 Kingston upon Hull 033 Kingston upon Hull, City of
5 East Riding of Yorkshire 020 East Riding of Yorkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Krebs

These lists show first names that appear often with the Krebs surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Krebs

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Krebs, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Krebs surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Krebs household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Krebs is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Krebs is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Krebs falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Krebs is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Krebs, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Krebs

The surname KREBS is of German origin, derived from the German word "Krebs" meaning crab or cancer. It likely originated as a descriptive nickname or occupational name for someone who worked with crabs or crayfish, or possibly as a reference to someone's crab-like gait or physical appearance.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany. In 1375, a Johannes Krebs was mentioned in records from the city of Würzburg. The name also appears in the Bavarian town of Augsburg, where a Hanns Krebs was documented in 1402.

In the 15th century, the KREBS name can be found in the German state of Saxony, with a Conrad Krebs recorded in Leipzig in 1437. During this period, variations in spelling such as Krebß, Krebse, and Krebzer were also used.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Hans Krebs, a German composer and organist who lived from around 1490 to 1540. He served as the court organist for the Elector of Saxony in Dresden.

Another prominent figure was Johann Baptist Krebs, a German composer and organist who lived from 1713 to 1780. He was a student of Johann Sebastian Bach and is considered one of the most important representatives of the Bach tradition.

In the 19th century, the KREBS surname gained further recognition with Hans Adolf Krebs, a German-British physician and biochemist who lived from 1900 to 1981. He is best known for his discovery of the citric acid cycle, also known as the Krebs cycle, which earned him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1953.

Another notable individual was Hans Krebs, a German-American biochemist who lived from 1888 to 1947. He made significant contributions to the understanding of cellular metabolism and is known for his work on the urea cycle, which is sometimes referred to as the Krebs-Henseleit cycle.

The KREBS surname has also been associated with various places, such as the town of Krebshausen in the German state of Hesse, which likely derived its name from the presence of crayfish in the local waters.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Krebs families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Krebs surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 11 Krebs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.34x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 11 4.34x
Yorkshire 6 2.39x
Cheshire 5 8.93x
Oxfordshire 2 12.77x
Glamorgan 1 2.27x
Lancashire 1 0.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Mile End Old Town London in Middlesex leads with 8 Krebs' recorded in 1881 and an index of 148.15x.

Place Total Index
Mile End Old Town London 8 148.15x
Chester Holy Trinity 5 1923.08x
Holy Trinity St Mary 4 1052.63x
Holy Trinity 2 33.11x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 2 1052.63x
St Pancras London 2 9.80x
Cardiff St Mary 1 41.15x
St Marylebone London 1 7.39x
Wavertree 1 104.17x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Krebs surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Maria 3
Frances 2
Mary 2
Amalia 1
Augusta 1
Eliza 1
Hercuer 1
Marie 1
Sarah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Krebs surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
George 3
Augustus 2
Alexander 1
Alonsius 1
Edward 1
Frederick 1
Heinrich 1
John 1
Karl 1
Robert 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Krebs households.

FAQ

Krebs surname: questions and answers

How common was the Krebs surname in 1881?

In 1881, 26 people were recorded with the Krebs surname. That placed it at #29,911 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Krebs surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 139 in 2016. That gives Krebs a modern rank of #25,001.

What does the Krebs surname mean?

A German occupational surname referring to a crab fisherman or seller, or a person with a crooked gait.

What does the Krebs map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Krebs bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.