2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Knapstein
A toponymic German surname derived from a place name referring to a hilltop or rocky area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Knapstein. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knapstein 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Knapstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knapstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knapstein
The surname Knapstein is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Knapp," meaning "miner" or "quarryman," and "stein," meaning "stone." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals who worked with stone in mines or quarries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Knapstein can be found in historical records and documents from various regions of present-day Germany. One notable mention appears in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Leverkusen, dating back to the late 16th century, where the name was spelled as "Knappstein."
In the 17th century, the Knapstein surname gained prominence with the birth of Johann Knapstein (1637-1708), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Giessen. His scholarly works, particularly in the fields of theology and metaphysics, contributed to the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another notable figure bearing the Knapstein name was Wilhelm Knapstein (1809-1899), a German artist and painter renowned for his landscape paintings depicting the scenic beauty of the Rhine region. His works were widely celebrated during his lifetime and are now housed in various art museums across Germany.
In the 19th century, the Knapstein family established themselves as prominent industrialists in the Ruhr region of Germany. One of the most notable members was Heinrich Knapstein (1822-1895), who founded the Knapstein & Co. steel and mining company, which played a significant role in the region's industrial development.
The name Knapstein also appears in historical records related to the mining industry in the Harz Mountains region of Germany. The town of Knapstein, located in the state of Lower Saxony, is believed to have derived its name from the prevalence of quarrying and mining activities in the area, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the occupation of stone mining.
While the surname Knapstein is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of Germany's rich cultural heritage, reflecting the nation's long-standing traditions in mining, quarrying, and industrial development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knapstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Knapstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Knapstein 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 Knapstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knapstein
Knapstein 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,358 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,358 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,354 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 Knapstein 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 | #144,141 | #146,495 | -1.6% |
| Count | 115 | 114 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knapstein bearers went from 115 to 114 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,354 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #146,495.
FAQ
Knapstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knapstein?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Knapstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Knapstein?
Knapstein ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Knapstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Knapstein.
Has Knapstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knapstein went from 115 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Knapstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knapstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Knapstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knapstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Knapstein (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 Knapstein mean?
A toponymic German surname derived from a place name referring to a hilltop or rocky area. 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 Knapstein (0.04 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 common is the surname Knapstein?
Find out how common the surname Knapstein is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.