Kreis (pronounced ; plural Kreise ) is the German word for circle, and also refers to a type of country subdivision.
- In Germany, a Kreis is a district or county
- In Prussia, a Kreis was a district or county
- In the Holy Roman Empire a Reichskreis (Imperial Circle) was a regional association of several principalities
- In the Swiss canton of Graubünden the 11 districts are divided into 39 Kreise (circles)
Kreis may also be a surname.
Possible origins and meanings of the surname are:
- German: nickname for a noisy person, from Middle High German kreiss, kreisch ‘cry’, ‘noise’.
- German: topographic name for someone who lived by a circular feature, from Middle Low German kreis (Middle High German kreiz) ‘circle’.
- Jewish (Ashkenazic): from German Kreis ‘circle’, ‘circular field’, ‘border’.
People with this surname include:
- Jason Kreis (born 1972), American soccer player
- Wilhelm Kreis (1873–1955), German architect
In music and culture:
- Kreis (rock band of the seventies)
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