KREBS
Krebs is a surname of German origin that is found in many parts of Europe and abroad.
In the Middle High German language the word krebs means “crab”. The surname is therefore either a topographic or an occupational name for a person who lived near a crab habitat or who worked as a crab fisherman. It may also have been used as a nickname for someone with crab‑like features, such as a sideways gait or a pincer‑like grip.
Several assimilated forms of the name survive, including Crab, Crabb, Crabbe and Crabtree in England and Scotland; and Krabbe, Krebb, Krebes, Kreft (also spelled Kraft), and Krawt in German‑speaking and Jewish families. These variants record the same underlying meaning associated with a crab.
The earliest extant record of the surname in England is that of Walter Crabbe, dated 1188 in the Pipe Roll of Dorset. Other early English examples include Maria Crabe christened in 1557 at St. Andrews Enfield, Alice Crabb who married William Allard in 1563 at St. Nicholas Acons in London, and Christian Crab who married William Hamilton in 1629 in Edinburgh.
In German records the name appears as early as the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. A 1293 document from Hamburg names Johann Krabbe; an 1371 reference in Strasbourg cites Erhard Krebs; and a 1310 entry from Aberdeen records a Paul Crab. The surname was also mentioned in a 1250 German document as Ekmund der Krebs, supporting a Middle Ages provenance.
The surname gained prominence in Aberdeen through a figure known as John Crab, an engineer employed by Count Robert Bruce of Flanders in 1319. His work on siege engines associated the name with Scottish affairs, and the family received considerable land grants in Aberdeen in subsequent centuries.
Beyond the British Isles, the surname is common in central‑eastern Germany and Austria where it is still present today. It is also found in Switzerland, Bohemia, the Netherlands, and northern parts of Italy. During the 19th century many bearers emigrated to the United States, particularly to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. According to the 2010 United States Census, roughly 12,000 people carry the surname Krebs there. German migration to Peru in the late 19–19th centuries has likewise produced a notable community, with an estimated eight thousand people in Peru, mainly in Lima, bearing the name.
Because its phonetic similarity to the Hebrew word korav, meaning “to rave” or “to shout”, the surname is also common among Jewish families. In Germanic contexts it may have arisen from a short form of the personal name Kristopher, meaning “carrying Christ”, or from the Low German word Kriken, meaning “to scratch”, both pointing back to the same ancient root that indicates crab‑like attributes.
Given its varied but clearly documented origins, the surname Krebs conveys a continuity of heritage that is both geographic and occupational across several centuries and jurisdictions.
Typical given names associated with the Krebs surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Hans
- Jason
- John
- Justin
- Lee
- Matthew
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Stafford
- Thomas
Female
- Angelika
- Beryl
- Emma
- Emmi
- Fiona
- Florence
- Hayley
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Lindsay
- Melany
- Monika
- Rebecca
- Teresa
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Krebs in...
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Morse
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There are approximately 201 people named Krebs in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around three in a million people in Britain are named Krebs.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Krebs
- Hans Adolf Krebs - Biochemist (1900 to 1981)
- John Krebs, Baron Krebs - Zoologist
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.