2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Knellinger
A surname of German origin referring to someone living near a bell.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Knellinger. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knellinger 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Knellinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knellinger
The surname Knellinger is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "knell," which means a sharp, ringing sound, and the suffix "-inger," indicating a place of origin or residence. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a place where bells were rung or where metalworking or other noisy activities took place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Knellinger can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, from the year 1582, where a Hans Knellinger is mentioned as a resident. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from the late 16th and early 17th centuries in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Knellinger was Johann Knellinger (1605-1675), a German clockmaker and inventor who was renowned for his intricate and innovative clock designs. His works were highly sought after by wealthy patrons and nobility across Europe.
Another historically significant individual with this surname was Elisabeth Knellinger (1725-1798), a German poet and playwright who gained recognition for her satirical works and her contributions to the literary salon culture of her time.
In the 19th century, a prominent Knellinger was Friedrich Knellinger (1815-1879), a German architect who designed several notable landmarks in the city of Munich, including the Alte Pinakothek art museum and the Basilica of St. Boniface.
The name Knellinger has also been found in various forms and spellings throughout history, such as Knellinger, Knöllinger, and Knöllinger, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time.
While the surname Knellinger is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in fields such as craftsmanship, literature, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knellinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Knellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Knellinger 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 Knellinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 103
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knellinger
Knellinger 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,840 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+5 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 18,840 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.7%) | Up 5,104 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 Knellinger 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 | #153,769 | #148,665 | 3.3% |
| Count | 106 | 111 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knellinger bearers went from 106 to 111 (+4.7% change). The surname moved up 5,104 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #148,665.
FAQ
Knellinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knellinger?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Knellinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Knellinger?
Knellinger ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Knellinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Knellinger.
Has Knellinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knellinger went from 106 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 5 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Knellinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and 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 Knellinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knellinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%), 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 Knellinger (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 Knellinger mean?
A surname of German origin referring to someone living near a bell. 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 Knellinger (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 many people are called Knellinger?
Want to know how common the surname Knellinger is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.