2000
#760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,267
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.30
Uncommon Last name
Knapp
A topographic surname of German origin, referring to someone who lived on a hilltop or mountain peak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 45,741 Americans carry the last name Knapp. That puts it at #847 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,493 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knapp 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Knapp with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
46K
1 in 7,493
Census rank
#847
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
40K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,888 bearers of the surname Knapp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 847th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knapp
The surname Knapp is of Germanic origin, specifically derived from the Old English and Old German words "cnapa" or "knappr," meaning "boy" or "servant." It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a male attendant or servant, often in a knightly or military context.
The earliest recorded instances of the Knapp surname can be traced back to the 11th century in various regions of Germany and England. It was particularly prevalent in areas such as Saxony, Westphalia, and Essex, where it was often associated with landowners or nobility who employed servants.
One of the earliest known mentions of the Knapp surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, including "Cnape" and "Knappe," reflecting its Germanic roots.
Throughout history, the Knapp surname has been associated with several notable individuals. In the 13th century, a German knight named Johann von Knapp was known for his service to the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (1194-1250). In England, Sir John Knapp (c. 1370-1438) was a prominent military commander and courtier during the reigns of Henry IV and Henry V.
Another noteworthy figure was Sebastian Knapp (1499-1567), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He served as a professor at the University of Tübingen and authored several influential works on theology and church history.
In the 18th century, Samuel L. Knapp (1784-1838) was an American author, editor, and biographer who wrote extensively about the American Revolution and its key figures. His work, "The Life of Thomas Paine," published in 1835, remains a valuable historical resource.
More recently, the American writer and environmentalist Caroline Knapp (1959-2002) gained recognition for her candid memoirs exploring addiction and recovery, including "Drinking: A Love Story" and "Appetites: Why Women Want."
While the Knapp surname has evolved over time, its Germanic origins as an occupational name for a servant or attendant remain a significant part of its historical background.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knapp
Among Census respondents with the surname Knapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Knapp 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 Knapp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 36,608
- Two or more races3.3% · 1,301
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,263
- Black or African American0.7% · 281
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 278
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 157
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knapp
Knapp 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
#825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,771
+504 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 14.16
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,888
-1,883 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 13.35
Rank movement Down 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #760 | 41,267 | 15.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #825 | 41,771 | 14.16 | +504 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #847 | 39,888 | 13.35 | -1,883 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 22 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 Knapp 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 | #825 | #847 | -2.7% |
| Count | 41,771 | 39,888 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 14.16 | 13.35 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knapp bearers went from 41,771 to 39,888 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #825 to #847.
FAQ
Knapp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knapp?
Name Census estimates that about 45,741 living Americans carry the surname Knapp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,493 residents.
How common is Knapp?
Knapp ranks #847 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,888 people with the surname Knapp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (45,741), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Knapp.
Has Knapp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knapp went from 41,771 recorded bearers to 39,888. That is a decrease of 1,883 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #825 to #847.
What does the Census say about the background of Knapp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Knapp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (36,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knapp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Knapp (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 Knapp mean?
A topographic surname of German origin, referring to someone who lived on a hilltop or mountain peak. 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 Knapp (13.35 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 Americans have the surname Knapp?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.