Find out how popular the last name Gutknecht is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gutknecht.

Gutknecht, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gutknecht surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gutknecht in America

Gutknecht is the 24012th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gutknecht surname appeared 1,050 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gutknecht.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gutknecht to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gutknecht

The surname Gutknecht originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German words "guot" meaning "good" and "knecht" meaning "servant" or "farmhand." The name initially referred to a dependable and hardworking farmhand or servant who was highly regarded by their employer.

The name can be found in various historical documents from different regions of Germany, such as the Rhineland and Bavaria. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the city of Cologne in 1285, where a certain Henricus Gutknecht is mentioned in a legal document.

In the 14th century, the Gutknecht family expanded their presence in the region of Franconia, where they held land and were involved in agricultural activities. Records from this period show several variations in the spelling, including Guteknecht, Guttenknecht, and Gutknecht.

During the 15th century, a notable figure bearing this surname was Johannes Gutknecht, a renowned scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Leipzig. He was born in 1422 in the town of Nuremberg and died in 1491.

Another prominent individual with the name Gutknecht was Hans Gutknecht, a master goldsmith who lived in Augsburg during the 16th century. His intricate and beautifully crafted works were highly sought after by aristocrats and wealthy merchants across Europe.

In the 17th century, the Gutknecht family established themselves in the region of Saxony, where they owned several farms and vineyards. One of the most successful members of the family during this period was Johann Gutknecht (1635-1712), a prosperous landowner and vintner in the town of Meissen.

The 18th century saw the rise of a notable military figure named Friedrich Gutknecht (1720-1798), who served as a colonel in the Prussian army during the Seven Years' War. He was highly decorated for his bravery and strategic skills on the battlefield.

As the Gutknecht family continued to spread across different regions of Germany, their name became associated with various occupations, including farmers, tradesmen, and artisans. The name's connection to hard work and reliability remained a common thread throughout its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gutknecht

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gutknecht.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gutknecht was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gutknecht has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gutknecht was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gutknecht, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!