2000
#51,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 382
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Kleinknecht
A German surname meaning "small servant" or "little servant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 450 Americans carry the last name Kleinknecht. That puts it at #56,329 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 761,676 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kleinknecht 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
450
1 in 761,676
Census rank
#56,329
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
392
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 392 bearers of the surname Kleinknecht in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 56329th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleinknecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kleinknecht
The surname Kleinknecht has its origins in Germany, dating back to the late Middle Ages around the 14th century. It is a compound word derived from the German words "klein" meaning small or little, and "knecht" meaning servant or vassal. The name likely referred to a person of small stature who served in a household or as a retainer to a nobleman.
The earliest known record of the surname Kleinknecht appears in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, in 1387, where a Hans Kleinknecht is mentioned as a resident. Another early reference is found in the municipal archives of Augsburg, Germany, where a Konrad Kleinknecht is listed among the city's citizens in 1412.
The name Kleinknecht has been spelled in various ways throughout history, including Kleinknecht, Kleynknecht, and Kleinknechte. These variations were common due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions in earlier times.
One notable figure bearing the surname Kleinknecht was Johann Kleinknecht (1615-1682), a German theologian and scholar who served as a professor at the University of Jena. He was known for his work on church history and his contributions to the field of philology.
Another individual of historical significance was Georg Kleinknecht (1697-1768), a German painter and engraver from Augsburg. He was renowned for his religious artworks and his etchings, which were highly sought after by collectors during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, Karl Kleinknecht (1822-1898) was a German-American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in St. Louis, Missouri, including the Old Courthouse and the St. Louis Cathedral.
The name Kleinknecht has also been associated with places and towns in Germany, such as Kleinknecht, a village in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and Kleinknechtsheim, a municipality in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Other notable individuals with the surname Kleinknecht include Theodor Kleinknecht (1887-1969), a German philologist and New Testament scholar, and Otto Kleinknecht (1889-1966), a German chemist and professor at the University of Braunschweig.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kleinknecht
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleinknecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kleinknecht 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 Kleinknecht surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 368
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 9
- Two or more races2.0% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kleinknecht
Kleinknecht 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
#53,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 387
+5 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 2,186 places
2020
#56,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 392
+5 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 2,910 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #51,233 | 382 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,419 | 387 | 0.13 | +5 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 2,186 places |
| 2020 | #56,329 | 392 | 0.13 | +5 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 2,910 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 Kleinknecht 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 | #53,419 | #56,329 | -5.4% |
| Count | 387 | 392 | 1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kleinknecht bearers went from 387 to 392 (+1.3% change). The surname moved down 2,910 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,419 to #56,329.
FAQ
Kleinknecht surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kleinknecht?
Name Census estimates that about 450 living Americans carry the surname Kleinknecht. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 761,676 residents.
How common is Kleinknecht?
Kleinknecht ranks #56,329 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 392 people with the surname Kleinknecht. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (450), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Kleinknecht.
Has Kleinknecht become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kleinknecht went from 387 recorded bearers to 392. That is an increase of 5 (+1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #53,419 to #56,329.
What does the Census say about the background of Kleinknecht?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kleinknecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Kleinknecht in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (368 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kleinknecht appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (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 Kleinknecht (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 Kleinknecht mean?
A German surname meaning "small servant" or "little 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 Kleinknecht (0.13 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 share the surname Kleinknecht?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.