Surname Krusius - Meaning and Origin

Krusius: What does the surname Krusius mean?

The last name Krusius, originally spelt Kruysius, is of Dutch origin and is derived from the personal name ‘Kruis’. ‘Kruis’ is derived from the Middle Dutch term ‘kruus’ meaning ‘cross’. The historic root of the surname was therefore likely taken from the personal name of someone who was associated with the Christian cross, such as a crusader or pilgrimage and would have adopted the Christian cross as a symbol of protection or faith. As the name is Latinized, it may also have been adopted by a person who was involved in the Crusades of the 11th and 12th centuries.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname evolved into its modern form as a result of regional and dialectal variations. Kruysius often became Krusius in the Limbourg region, due to the Limburgish language having a higher tendency to drop syllables and to add endings at the end of words.

Today, the Krusius surname is common in the Netherlands with over 6500 people bearing the name. The name is also found throughout Europe, particularly in Finland, Scandinavia and Germany as migrants have taken the name to these countries.

Overall, the Krusius surname is of Dutch origin and derived from the personal name ‘Kruis’, which has become associated with the Christian cross. The name is now found throughout the Netherlands and Europe as well as other parts of the world as a result of migration.

Krusius: Where does the name Krusius come from?

The last name Krusius (also spelled Kruss, Kruus, Kruusi, Kruusius, and Kruse) is most common in Germany, followed by Finland and Estonia. This surname is believed to have originated in the Northern German region of Westphalia, where most of the bearers can still be found today. Partially influenced by Latvian languages, the surname is known to have been in existence since at least the 15th century.

Within Germany, the name is most commonly found in the state of Schleswig-Holstein and is least common in Bavaria and Saxony. It is also found in other German-speaking countries of Europe, including Austria and Switzerland.

The surname is also found in Finland, which is home to one of the largest concentration of bearers of the Krusius surname. It is typically found in the Länsi-Suomi (“West Finland”) region of Finland where it is most dense. In Finland, bearers of the surname by and large have German Lutheran ancestry that can be traced back to the 1600s and 1700s.

The Krusius surname is also widespread in Estonia, where it is found in both the Republic of Estonia and in the Russian exclave of Narva. In and around the Narva area, some bearers are of Swedish or German ancestry while others are likely descendants of German soldiers who settled in Estonia during World War II.

As of the 2019 United States Census, the last name Krusius has been found in 220 households across the United States. Of these, 41 households are in California, 33 are in Illinois, and 12 are in New York.

Variations of the surname Krusius

Krusius is a surname of Scandinavian origin, derived from either the Old Danish word "Kruss" or from the Old Norse word "Krus". While the surname is now relatively uncommon, several variants and alternate spellings of the name are known.

Krusius is most commonly written as Krusius, but it can also be spelled Krussius, Krucius, and Kruczius. Variants of the surname include Krüske, Krüchs, Krühm, Krine, Krenze, Krenz, Krönke, Kroenke, and Krohnke.

Many of the variants and alternate spellings of Krusius come from American immigration efforts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as surname orthography was often changed to better reflect the pronunciation of the Old World name in the New World. As a result, many American descendants of the Krusius family carry a modified version of the original surname.

In Dutch, the name is usually spelled Kruys and is sometimes spelled Kruiz or Krüss. The Swedish variant of the name is Krusèn and sometimes spelled Kruyssen or Krysén.

In Estonia, the Kaaver and Kaver families may have originated from the Krusius line. The Polish variant of the name is Kruś or Kruśe, while the Finnish variant is Krusk and the Hungarian version is Kriiska.

In total, there are over a dozen variants and alternate spellings of the surname Krusius, making it a very diverse surname with a long and varied history.

Famous people with the name Krusius

• Karl Krusius: a German neurologist who published a treatise in 1874 on injuries to the nerves important to elbow and arm movement.
• Sammy Krusius: American professional basketball player.
• Sami Krusius: Finnish snowboarder and four-time world champion.
• Arnold Krusius: Dutch organ and harpsichord builder and founder of the firm of Krusius & Sons.
• Tauno Krusius: Finnish diplomat who was the first permanent representative of the Soviet Union in Finland after World War II.
• Konstantin Krusius: a German historian and professor at the University of Konstanz.
• S.G Krusius: A German sculptor who created the Medal of Honor and the Order of Merit for services to the German Empire.
• Markku Krusius: Finnish professor at the University of Helsinki and former director of the Finnish Museum of Natural History.
• Aarne Krusius: Republican Congressman from Wisconsin for one term in the early 1960s.
• Väinö Krusius: a Finnish architect renowned for his modernist style and varied projects.

Other surnames

Krusinger