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

Knappenberger, 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 Knappenberger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knappenberger in America

Knappenberger is the 29171st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knappenberger surname appeared 812 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 Knappenberger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knappenberger 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 Knappenberger

The surname Knappenberger originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "knappen" meaning "squire" or "servant" and "Berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill." It is believed that the name was originally given to someone who lived or worked on a hill or mountain as a servant or squire.

The surname Knappenberger was initially found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, particularly in the areas around Nuremberg and Leipzig. In the 15th century, a record from the city of Nuremberg mentions a Hanns Knappenberger, who was a merchant and member of the city council.

One of the earliest known references to the name Knappenberger can be found in the Deutsches Adelsbuch (German Book of Nobility) from the late 16th century. This document mentions a noble family with the surname Knappenberger, indicating that the name had gained prominence by that time.

In the 17th century, a Knappenberger family settled in the town of Jena in Thuringia, where they owned a successful brewery. Johann Christoph Knappenberger (1638-1704) was a notable member of this family and served as the mayor of Jena.

Another notable figure was Friedrich Knappenberger (1798-1878), a German philosopher and educator who was born in Weimar. He taught at universities in Jena and Heidelberg and wrote several works on philosophy and education.

During the 19th century, the name Knappenberger began to spread beyond Germany as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. Among these was Carl Knappenberger (1842-1923), a German-American businessman who founded the Knappenberger Brewery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Other notable individuals with the surname Knappenberger include Otto Knappenberger (1867-1944), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, and Johanna Knappenberger (1901-1987), a German writer and journalist who published several novels and short stories.

While the surname Knappenberger is still found predominantly in Germany and other German-speaking regions, it has also been carried to various parts of the world by individuals and families over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knappenberger

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

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

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

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