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Krebs Family History

Krebs Surname Meaning

German and Swiss German: metonymic occupational name for a catcher or seller of crabs or crayfish or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a crab perhaps because they had a peculiar gait. The name was certainly standardized from older variants like Krevetes or Krebiss which reflect Middle Low German crevet ‘crab, shrimp’ as well as Middle High German krebez.

This surname is also found in e.g. Slovenia, Czechia, and Poland often as a translation into German of the Slavic surname Rak ‘crayfish’ and in France (mainly Alsace and Lorraine). Compare Crabbs, Crapps, Crepps, Creps, and Krebbs.

Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Krebs ‘crab’ (see 1 above). Danish: from krebs ‘crab, crayfish’; compare 1 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Krebs family from?

You can see how Krebs families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Krebs family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Krebs families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 2 Krebs families living in Manitoba. This was about 50% of all the recorded Krebs's in Canada. Manitoba had the highest population of Krebs families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Krebs surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Krebs ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Krebs. 89% of Krebs men worked as a Farmer.

View Census Data for Krebs | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    89%
  • F Farm
    12%

What Krebs family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 46,000 census records available for the last name Krebs. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Krebs census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Krebs

Passenger Lists

There are 11,000 immigration records available for the last name Krebs. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 20,000 military records available for the last name Krebs. For the veterans among your Krebs ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Krebs lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Krebs life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1948, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Krebs in 1940 was 46, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Krebs

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Krebs ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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