2000
#5,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,336
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Knecht
An occupational surname referring to a servant, farmhand, or squire in German-speaking regions during medieval times.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,103 Americans carry the last name Knecht. That puts it at #6,170 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knecht 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
6.1K
1 in 56,162
Census rank
#6,170
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,322 bearers of the surname Knecht in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6170th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knecht
The surname Knecht has its origins in Germany and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German word "kneht," which means "servant" or "bondsman." The name was often given to people who worked as servants or retainers in noble households or on large estates.
In its earliest recorded form, the name was spelled "Kneht" or "Knecht." It first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, such as in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony in Germany. Over time, the spelling evolved into the modern form of "Knecht."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Konrad Knecht, a knight who lived in the late 13th century and was mentioned in the Annals of the Teutonic Order, a chronicle of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia. Another notable early figure was Hans Knecht, a merchant from Nuremberg who lived in the 15th century and was recorded in the city's commercial archives.
During the Renaissance and Reformation periods, the name Knecht became associated with the peasant class and the rising urban working class. Notable individuals from this era include Sebastian Knecht, a German Protestant reformer and theologian born in 1499, and Matthias Knecht, a 16th-century painter from Nuremberg.
In the 17th century, Johann Knecht was a prominent German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony. His works were influential in the development of the Baroque style in German music.
As the name spread throughout German-speaking regions, it also appeared in various local spellings and variations, such as Knechte, Knechtl, and Knechtli, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic influences. Some of these variations eventually became separate surnames in their own right.
The name Knecht has been associated with various professions and occupations over the centuries, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of its bearers. While it initially referred to servants or bondsmen, it later became associated with skilled tradesmen, artisans, and even members of the educated classes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knecht
Among Census respondents with the surname Knecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Knecht 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 Knecht surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 4,900
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 193
- Two or more races2.9% · 155
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knecht
Knecht 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
#6,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,452
+116 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 330 places
2020
#6,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,322
-130 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,937 | 5,336 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,267 | 5,452 | 1.85 | +116 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 330 places |
| 2020 | #6,170 | 5,322 | 1.78 | -130 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 97 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 Knecht 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 | #6,267 | #6,170 | 1.5% |
| Count | 5,452 | 5,322 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.78 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knecht bearers went from 5,452 to 5,322 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,267 to #6,170.
FAQ
Knecht surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knecht?
Name Census estimates that about 6,103 living Americans carry the surname Knecht. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,162 residents.
How common is Knecht?
Knecht ranks #6,170 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,322 people with the surname Knecht. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Knecht.
Has Knecht become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knecht went from 5,452 recorded bearers to 5,322. That is a decrease of 130 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,267 to #6,170.
What does the Census say about the background of Knecht?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Knecht in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (4,900 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knecht appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Knecht (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 Knecht mean?
An occupational surname referring to a servant, farmhand, or squire in German-speaking regions during medieval times. 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 Knecht (1.78 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 people are called Knecht?
You can see how many people have the last name Knecht on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.