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

Knauf, 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 Knauf surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knauf in America

Knauf is the 19716th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knauf surname appeared 1,366 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 Knauf.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knauf 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 Knauf

The surname Knauf is of German origin, originating in the region of Bavaria, Germany in the late medieval period. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "knouf" or "knofe," meaning a knob, button, or knot. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation involving the making or selling of buttons, knots, or other knobbed items.

The earliest recorded appearance of the Knauf surname dates back to the 14th century. In 1389, a certain Heincz Knouf was mentioned in the municipal records of the city of Nuremberg. Another early record from 1435 mentions a Hans Knauff in the town of Weiden, located in the northern Bavarian region known as the Upper Palatinate.

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appears in various historical documents across Bavaria and neighboring regions. For instance, the Knauf family is mentioned in the records of the city of Regensburg in 1567, and a Caspar Knauf is recorded as a resident of the town of Amberg in 1622.

One notable Knauf from history is Johann Lorenz Knauf, a German historian and theologian who lived from 1588 to 1658. He authored several works on the history of the city of Nuremberg and the surrounding region.

Another individual of note is Johann Georg Knauf, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1742 to 1809. He is known for his landscape paintings and engravings depicting scenes from the Bavarian countryside.

In the 19th century, the Knauf surname can be found in various records from the German states. For example, a Johann Knauf is listed as a resident of the town of Gunzenhausen in Bavaria in the year 1822.

As the name suggests a possible occupational origin, it is likely that the Knauf surname was borne by individuals involved in the production or trade of buttons, knots, or similar items in the medieval and early modern periods. The name's concentration in the Bavarian region of Germany indicates that this was the area where it first emerged and became established.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knauf

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

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

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

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