2000
#8,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,541
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Knepper
A German occupational surname referring to a person who makes or repairs buttons, derived from the German word "Knöpfer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,890 Americans carry the last name Knepper. That puts it at #9,223 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knepper 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
3.9K
1 in 88,112
Census rank
#9,223
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,392 bearers of the surname Knepper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9223rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knepper
The surname Knepper is of German origin, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "kneppe," which referred to a small hill or knoll. This suggests that the name was initially adopted by someone who lived near or on a small hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town of Landshut, where a certain Johann Knepper was mentioned in a local registry from the year 1437. This indicates that the name was already in use in that region during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in various records from the German states of Saxony and Thuringia. For instance, a farmer named Hans Knepper was documented in the village of Groitzsch, near Leipzig, in 1564.
The Knepper surname also has a long history in the Rhineland region of Germany. In Cologne, a merchant named Peter Knepper was recorded in the city's trade records from 1587.
As the name spread across Germany in the following centuries, it evolved into various spellings, such as Kneper, Knapper, and Knöpper, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.
Notable individuals with the surname Knepper include:
1. Johann Knepper (c. 1545-1612), a German composer and organist active in the late Renaissance period.
2. Wilhelm Knepper (1819-1898), a German-American immigrant who became a successful brewer and businessman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
3. George Knepper (1873-1948), an American chemist and educator who served as the president of the University of Idaho from 1909 to 1914.
4. Eduard Knepper (1885-1967), a German architect known for his work in the Bauhaus style, including the design of several schools and public buildings in Berlin.
5. Paul Knepper (1932-2022), an American actor best known for his roles in television shows such as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Diagnosis Murder."
While the Knepper surname has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through immigration to North America and other regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knepper
Among Census respondents with the surname Knepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Knepper 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 Knepper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 3,149
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 94
- Two or more races2.8% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 33
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knepper
Knepper 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
#8,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,930
+389 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 154 places
2020
#9,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,392
-538 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,562 | 3,541 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,408 | 3,930 | 1.33 | +389 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 154 places |
| 2020 | #9,223 | 3,392 | 1.13 | -538 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 815 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 Knepper 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 | #8,408 | #9,223 | -9.7% |
| Count | 3,930 | 3,392 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.13 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knepper bearers went from 3,930 to 3,392 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 815 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,408 to #9,223.
FAQ
Knepper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knepper?
Name Census estimates that about 3,890 living Americans carry the surname Knepper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,112 residents.
How common is Knepper?
Knepper ranks #9,223 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,392 people with the surname Knepper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,890), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Knepper.
Has Knepper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knepper went from 3,930 recorded bearers to 3,392. That is a decrease of 538 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,408 to #9,223.
What does the Census say about the background of Knepper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knepper, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) 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 Knepper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (3,149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knepper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (2.8%), 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 Knepper (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 Knepper mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who makes or repairs buttons, derived from the German word "Knöpfer." 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 Knepper (1.13 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 Knepper?
See how common the surname Knepper is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.