Strauss

Strauss or Strauß or Straus is a common German surname. Outside Germany and Austria Strauß is always spelled Strauss (the letter "ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland).

During the Middle Ages, people were often named after the buildings or farms they occupied. Some Jewish families, for example, got named after their houses in the Frankfurter Judengasse and one of these had been Haus Strauß that displayed the symbol of an ostrich ("Strauß" in German). The origin of the name for some carriers might also lie in the Middle High German word strûz, meaning "fight".

People named Strauss or Strauß or Straus

A–F

• Adolf Strauß (1879–1973), German Colonel General
• Adriaan Strauss (born 1985), South African rugby player
• Allison W. Strauss American fighter pilot after which Strauss Airfield in Australia is named
• Andrew Strauss (born 1977), South African born English cricketer
• Annette Strauss (1924–1998), philanthropist and former mayor of Dallas, Texas
• Anselm Strauss (1916–1996), American sociologist
• Astrid Strauss (born 1968), East German swimmer
• Barry S. Strauss, American classicist and historian
• Bill Strauss (footballer) (1916-1984), South African born Scottish footballer and cricketer
• Bruce Strauss (born 1952), American boxer
• Christoph Strauss (around 1580–1631), composer
• Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908–2009), French anthropologist
• Darin Strauss (born 1970), American writer
• David Strauss (David Friedrich Strauss or Strauß, 1808–1874), German theologian and writer
• Dominique Strauss-Kahn (born 1949), former managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
• Donald B. Straus (1916–2007), American educator, author, political advisor
• Eduard Strauss (1835–1916), Austrian composer, son of Johann Strauss I
• Eric Strauss (born 1960), American biologist, professor at Boston College
• Ernst G. Straus (1922–1983), mathematician and assistant to Albert Einstein
• Erwin Straus (1891–1975), phenomenologist and neurologist of European origin
• Franz Josef Strauss (or Strauß, 1915–1988), German politician
• Franz Strauss (1822–1905), German horn player and composer, father of Richard Strauss

G–L

• Harry L. Straus, American electrical engineer, horse and cattle breeder, sportsman, entrepreneur and computer pioneer
• Harry Strauss (1909–1941), contract killer for Murder, Inc., in the 1930s
• Henry Strauss, 1st Baron Conesford, member of the British Parliament from 1935 to 1955
• Isidor Straus (1845–1912), owner of R.H. Macy Co., member of the U.S. House of Representatives, died when the steamer Titanic sank
• Jack Straus, American professional poker player
• Jacobus Gideon Nel Strauss (1900–1990), South African politician
• Jael Strauss, contestant in America's Next Top Model, Cycle 8
• James Strauss (flutist) (born 1974), Brazilian flutist
• James D. Strauss (born 1929), American theologian and professor
• Jesse I. Straus (1872–1936), son of Isidor Straus, president of Macy's, U.S. ambassador to France 1933–36
• Joe Straus (born 1959), politician from Texas
• Joe Strauss (1858–1906), American baseball player
• Johann Strauss I (1804–1849), Austrian composer, father of Johann II, Josef, Eduard ("Radetzky March")
• Johann Strauss II (1825–1899), Austrian composer (Die Fledermaus, Blue Danube Waltz), son of Johann Strauss I
• Johann Strauss III (1866–1939), Austrian composer, son of Eduard Strauss
• Jon Strauss, former president of Harvey Mudd College
• Josef Strauss (1827–1870), Austrian composer, son of Johann Strauss I
• Joseph Straus, German patent scholar
• Joseph Strauss, several people, including:
  • Joseph Strauss (admiral) (1861–1948), American admiral
  • Joseph Strauss (engineer) (1870–1938), chief engineer in the building of the Golden Gate Bridge in California
• Karin Straus (born 1971), Dutch politician
• Kim Strauss (or Kurt Strauss), actor
• Leo Strauss (1899–1973), political philosopher
• Levi Strauss (disambiguation), several people, including:
  • Levi Strauss (1829–1902), Bavaria-born American entrepreneur and inventor of blue jeans
• Lewis Strauss (1896–1974) American businessman and chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission
• Ludwig Straus, Hungarian-Austrian violinist

M–Z

• Maayan Strauss (born 1983), Israeli artist
• Mark L. Strauss, New Testament professor
• Mark Strauss (journalist), American journalist
• Michael W. Straus, American government official
• Nathan Straus, German-American merchant and philanthropist
• Neil Strauss, journalist and author
• Ofra Strauss, chief executive officer of Israeli food products manufacturer Strauss
• Oscar Straus (composer) (1870–1954), Austrian composer of operettas
• Oscar Straus (politician), Secretary of Commerce and Labor under President Theodore Roosevelt
• Paul Strauss (born 1964), politician from the District of Columbia
• Peter Strauss (born 1947), American actor
• Richard L. Strauss, president of the Strauss Radio Strategies company
• Richard Strauss (1864–1949), German composer of operas and tone poems, son of Franz Strauss
• Robert Schwarz Strauss, American diplomat
• Robert Strauss (actor), American actor
• Roger Williams Straus, Jr., co-founder of book publishers Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Sagi Strauss (born 1976), Israeli footballer
• Sylvia Straus, pianist
• Tiaan Strauss (born 1965), South African rugby player
• Victoria Strauss, fantasy author
• William Strauss, writer and theorist

Other

• Bobbs-Merrill Co. v. Straus, United States Supreme Court decision concerning the scope of rights accorded owners of a copyright
• Akabara Strauss, Vampire King from the manga The Record of a Fallen Vampire
• Abraham & Straus, former major New York City department store
• Artie Strauss, fictional character based on the real life murderer Richard Loeb of the infamous murder duo Leopold and Loeb
• Farrar, Straus and Giroux, American book-publishing company
• Hans and Greta Strauss, inspiration for the fairy tale of "Hansel and Gretel" according to the Buffy episode "Gingerbread"
• Justice Strauss, fictional character from A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
• Levi Strauss & Co., clothiers
• Roman Strauss, fictional conductor-composer from the 1991 psychological thriller Dead Again
• Straus Hall, dormitory housing first-year students at Harvard College
• Strauss (company), food manufacturer in Israel