Kraus is a German surname meaning "curly". Notable people with the surname include:
- Adalbert Kraus (born 1937), German tenor
- Adam Kraus (born 1984), American footballer
- Adolf Kraus (1850–1928), lawyer and Part Jewish leader
- Adolph Robert Kraus (1850–1901), American sculptor
- Alanna Kraus (born 1977), Canadian speed skater
- Albert Kraus (born 1980), Dutch welterweight kickboxer
- Alfredo Kraus (1927–1999), Spanish opera singer
- Barbara Kraus, Austrian physicist
- Bill Kraus (1947–1986), American homosexual rights and AIDS activist
- Brigitte Kraus (born 1956), German middle distance runner
- Bruce Kraus (born 1954), American politician and businessman
- Charles A. Kraus (1875–1967), American chemist
- Charles Kraus (clown) (born 1946), American clown, magician, writer, and comedian
- Chris Kraus (American writer) (born 1955), American writer and filmmaker
- Chris Kraus (director) (born 1963), German author and filmmaker
- Christian Jakob Kraus (1753–1807), German linguist
- Daniel Kraus (disambiguation)
- Derek Kraus (born 2001), American racing driver
- Detlef Kraus (1919–2008), German pianist
- Dick Kraus (1937–2019), American educator and politician
- Eileen Kraus (1938–2017), American banker
- Engelbert Kraus (1934–2016), German football player
- Ernst Kraus (1863–1941), German tenor
- Ezra Jacob Kraus (1885–1960), American botanist and horticulturist
- Felix von Kraus (1870–1937), Austrian singer
- Franz Kraus (1905–1998), Israeli graphic designer
- Franz Xaver Kraus (1840–1901), German Catholic priest
- Friedrich Kraus (1858–1936), Bohemian Austrian physician
- Georg Melchior Kraus (1737–1806), German painter
- Gertrud Kraus (1901–1977), Israeli modern dancer
- Gregor Kraus (1841–1915), German botanist
- Hans Kraus (1905–1995), Austrian-American physician and rock climber
- Hans-Georg Kraus (born 1949), German footballer
- Hans P. Kraus (1907–1988), German-American antiquarian book dealer
- Hans-Werner Kraus (1915–1990), German U-boat commander
- Hansi Kraus (born 1952), German actor
- Henry Kraus (1906–1995), American historian
- Herbert Kraus (1884–1965), German professor of international law
- Jacob Kraus (1861–1951), Dutch politician
- Jessica Reed Kraus, American writer
- Jillian Kraus (born 1986), American water polo player
- Jody Kraus, American lawyer
- Joe Kraus, American businessman
- John D. Kraus (1910–2004), American electrical engineer
- Joseph Martin Kraus (1756–1792), German-Swedish classical composer
- Józef Antoni Kraus (died 1721), German sculptor
- Katja Kraus (born 1970), German footballer
- Karl Kraus (writer) (1874–1936), Austrian writer
- Kevin Kraus (born 1992), German footballer
- Lili Kraus (1903–1986), Hungarian pianist
- Marianne Kraus (1765–1838), German painter, drafter and writer
- Melanie Kraus (born 1974), German long-distance runner
- Michael Kraus (disambiguation)
- Milton Kraus (1866–1942), American politician
- Nadine Kraus (born 1988), German footballer
- Nicola Kraus (born 1974), American novelist
- Nina Kraus, American neuroscientist
- Ognjen Kraus (born 1945), Croatian physician and Jewish community leader
- Oliver Kraus (born 1970), English musician
- Oskar Kraus (1872–1942), Czech philosopher
- Otakar Kraus (1909–1980), Czech (later British) baritone
- Otto Kraus (1930–2017), German zoologist
- Pat Kraus, aka Prince Kraus, aka Kraus (New Zealand musician)
- Patricia Kraus (born 1964), Spanish singer
- Paul Kraus (born 1944), Holocaust survivor and author, considered the longest-lived mesothelioma survivor
- Paul Kraus (Arabist) (1904–1944), Arabist researcher
- Peter Kraus (born 1939), German singer
- Peter S. Kraus, American businessman
- Philip Kraus (born 1950), American operatic baritone and stage director
- Richard E. Kraus (1925–1944), United States Marine posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor
- Robert Kraus (1925–2001), American children's author, cartoonist, and publisher
- Sarit Kraus (born 1960), Israeli computer scientist
- Sharron Kraus, English singer, songwriter, and musician
- Shmulik Kraus (born in 1935–2013), Israeli actor and pop-rock singer and composer
- Sonya Kraus (born 1973), German television presenter
- Tadeusz Kraus (1932–2018), Czechoslovak-Polish footballer
- Tomáš Kraus (born 1974), Czech alpine skier and freestyle skier
- Ursula Kraus (1930–2021), German politician, mayor
- Viorel Kraus (born 1940), Romanian footballer
- Živa Kraus (born 1945), Croatian painter
- Will Kraus (born 1973), American politician
- Will Kraus, aka Kraus (shoegaze musician) (born 1994/95), American musician
- Wolfgang Kraus (born 1953), German football player
- Yael Kraus, Israeli singer-songwriter
Fictional characters
edit- Johann Kraus, in the Hellboy universe