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

Knabe, 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 Knabe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knabe in America

Knabe is the 23135th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knabe surname appeared 1,103 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 Knabe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knabe 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 Knabe

The surname KNABE is of German origin, and it can be traced back to the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "knabe," which means "boy" or "servant." This suggests that the name was likely initially given as a descriptive nickname to a young male servant or an apprentice.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KNABE surname can be found in the Wuerttemberg tax rolls from the late 15th century. These records mention individuals with the name living in various towns and villages in the region. The name also appears in other historical documents from the same period, such as church records and legal documents, throughout southern Germany and parts of Switzerland.

In the 16th century, the KNABE surname began to spread more widely across German-speaking areas of Europe. During this time, the name underwent some variations in spelling, including Knab, Knaben, and Knabben. These variations were likely due to regional differences in dialect and pronunciation.

One notable individual with the KNABE surname was Johann Konrad Knabe (1635-1699), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg. He was known for his contributions to the development of the organ repertoire in the Baroque period.

Another prominent figure was Johann Gottfried Knabe (1753-1828), a German-American piano and harpsichord maker who founded the Knabe Piano Company in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1837. The company became one of the leading piano manufacturers in the United States during the 19th century.

In the 19th century, the KNABE surname also appeared in various historical records in other parts of Europe, such as Austria and the Netherlands. One example is Willem Knabe (1821-1897), a Dutch painter and lithographer known for his landscape and city scenes.

Other notable individuals with the KNABE surname include the German philosopher and writer Ernst Knabe (1888-1939) and the American businessman and philanthropist William Knabe (1906-1981), who served as the president of the Knabe Piano Company for many years.

Throughout its history, the KNABE surname has maintained its association with its German roots, although it has also been carried by individuals from various other cultural backgrounds and nationalities due to migration and intermarriage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knabe

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

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 Knabe 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 Knabe 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 Knabe was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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