What does Kraus mean?

Kraus means curly, frizzy, or wavy, particularly referring to curly hair, and comes from Middle High German krus meaning curly. As a surname, Kraus originated in medieval Germany as a nickname for someone with curly hair, used to distinguish people with the same first name. For example, Hans Kraus would mean Hans the curly-haired. It is one of the most common German surnames and is found throughout Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with variations including Krause, Krauss, Kruse, and Krausse all meaning the same. In modern German, the adjective kraus still means curly or frizzy, as in krauses Haar meaning curly hair, or in figurative use confused or crumpled like krause Ideen meaning confused ideas. As a brand name, Kraus USA, the kitchen sink and faucet company founded in 2007 in Port Washington, New York, uses the name Kraus because its founder Michael Karetnick has that heritage, but the brand itself means the company that offers modern kitchen and bath products. So the core meaning of Kraus is curly, and as a family name it denotes a person with curly hair, of German origin. It does not mean anything related to plumbing, it is simply a German surname meaning curly that was adopted as a brand name for its memorable sound.