2000
#13,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Knauer
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "knouwe," meaning a hillock or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,386 Americans carry the last name Knauer. That puts it at #13,889 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knauer 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
2.4K
1 in 143,652
Census rank
#13,889
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,081 bearers of the surname Knauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13889th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knauer
The surname Knauer is of German origin, and it first emerged in the 14th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "knāwer," which means "barker" or "snarler." This suggests that the surname may have initially been an occupational name for people involved in hunting or forestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Knauer can be found in the municipal records of Nuremberg, dated around 1383, where a certain Hans Knauer is mentioned as a resident of the city. Another early reference is from a document in the Saxony region, dated 1422, which mentions a Kunz Knauer as a landowner.
In the 16th century, the surname Knauer appears in various church records and tax rolls across Germany. Notable individuals from this period include Johannes Knauer (1492-1551), a Lutheran theologian and reformer, and Hans Knauer (1514-1586), a German artist and printmaker known for his intricate woodcuts.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Knauer surname spread across other parts of Europe, such as Austria and Switzerland. In 1692, a certain Georg Knauer is recorded as a master carpenter in the city of Vienna. Another notable figure from this era is Johann Knauer (1717-1785), a German architect and builder who designed several churches and public buildings in Dresden and Leipzig.
In the 19th century, several Knauer families emigrated from Germany to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States is in the 1820 census, which lists a Jacob Knauer living in Pennsylvania. Another notable individual from this period is Friedrich Knauer (1828-1908), a German-American artist and illustrator who gained recognition for his depictions of wildlife and nature scenes.
Other notable individuals with the surname Knauer include:
- Karl Knauer (1841-1920), a German politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice in Bavaria.
- Georg Knauer (1856-1908), a German sculptor known for his works in bronze and marble, with several pieces displayed in public spaces across Germany.
- Frieda Knauer (1885-1977), an Austrian operatic soprano who performed at the Vienna State Opera and other prestigious venues in Europe.
- Viktor Knauer (1909-1991), a German-American chemist and inventor who developed several synthetic rubber compounds during World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Knauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Knauer 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 Knauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,921
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 76
- Two or more races2.8% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knauer
Knauer 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
#13,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,171
+36 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 783 places
2020
#13,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,081
-90 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 22 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,128 | 2,135 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,911 | 2,171 | 0.74 | +36 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 783 places |
| 2020 | #13,889 | 2,081 | 0.70 | -90 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 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 Knauer 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 | #13,911 | #13,889 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,171 | 2,081 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.70 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knauer bearers went from 2,171 to 2,081 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 22 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,911 to #13,889.
FAQ
Knauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knauer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,386 living Americans carry the surname Knauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,652 residents.
How common is Knauer?
Knauer ranks #13,889 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,081 people with the surname Knauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,386), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Knauer.
Has Knauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knauer went from 2,171 recorded bearers to 2,081. That is a decrease of 90 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,911 to #13,889.
What does the Census say about the background of Knauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Knauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,921 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Knauer (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 Knauer mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "knouwe," meaning a hillock or mound. 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 Knauer (0.70 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 Knauer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.