2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gudknecht
A German surname meaning "good servant" or "virtuous servant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Gudknecht. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gudknecht surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Gudknecht in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gudknecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gudknecht
The surname "GUDKNECHT" is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
The name is derived from the Middle High German words "guot" meaning "good" and "kneht" meaning "servant" or "retainer." It was likely a descriptive surname given to individuals who were considered good servants or retainers in the service of a lord or nobleman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Freiburg im Breisgau in Baden-Württemberg, where a certain "Heinrich Gudknecht" is mentioned as a resident.
In the 15th century, the name is found in various records from the city of Nuremberg, where a "Hans Gudknecht" is listed as a master craftsman in the guild of blacksmiths.
A notable figure bearing this surname was Johann Gudknecht (1567-1631), a German theologian and rector of the University of Tübingen. He was known for his work on the interpretation of the Bible and his polemics against the Jesuits.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich Gudknecht (1789-1858), a German artist and engraver from Dresden. He is particularly renowned for his detailed engravings of architectural subjects and landscapes.
In the 19th century, a certain Wilhelm Gudknecht (1820-1892) gained recognition as a German mathematician and educator. He made significant contributions to the field of geometry and authored several influential textbooks.
A more contemporary figure was Helmut Gudknecht (1908-1985), a German naval officer who served in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He held the rank of Kapitän zur See and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his service.
Despite its German origins, the surname "GUDKNECHT" has also been found in other parts of Europe and beyond, likely due to migration and assimilation into different cultures over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gudknecht
Among Census respondents with the surname Gudknecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gudknecht bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gudknecht surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 95
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gudknecht
Gudknecht appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+9 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 612 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-22 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 612 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 18,821 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gudknecht surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #136,449 | #155,270 | -13.8% |
| Count | 123 | 101 | -17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gudknecht bearers went from 123 to 101 (-17.9% change). The surname moved down 18,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #155,270.
FAQ
Gudknecht surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gudknecht?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Gudknecht. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Gudknecht?
Gudknecht ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Gudknecht. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gudknecht.
Has Gudknecht become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gudknecht went from 123 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gudknecht?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gudknecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gudknecht in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gudknecht appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gudknecht (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gudknecht mean?
A German surname meaning "good servant" or "virtuous servant." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gudknecht (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Gudknecht?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Gudknecht at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.