2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Knettel
A German surname derived from the German word "Knittel", meaning a knotted club or stick.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 194 Americans carry the last name Knettel. That puts it at #110,961 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,766,775 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knettel 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
194
1 in 1,766,775
Census rank
#110,961
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
169
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 169 bearers of the surname Knettel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 110961st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knettel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knettel
The surname Knettel is believed to have originated in Germany. It is derived from the Middle High German word "kneten," meaning "to knead" or "to mix dough." The name likely referred to an occupation, such as a baker or miller, in its earliest usage.
The earliest known record of the surname Knettel dates back to the 14th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. In a document from 1372, a certain Hans Knettel was listed as a resident of the town of Augsburg.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Knettel has appeared in various historical records and manuscripts across Germany. In the 16th century, a Johann Knettel was mentioned in the town records of Nuremberg, where he worked as a baker.
The name Knettel has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Friedrich Knettel (1777-1856), a German businessman and industrialist who established a successful textile manufacturing company in Saxony.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Wilhelm Knettel (1808-1889), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and architectural works. He was born in Dresden and spent most of his career in that city.
In the 19th century, a certain Karl Knettel (1841-1917) gained recognition as a German educator and author. He wrote several textbooks on mathematics and served as a teacher in various schools across Germany.
The surname Knettel has also been traced to other regions of Europe, such as Austria and Switzerland, where it is believed to have been introduced by German settlers or migrants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Knettel outside of Germany was in the city of Bern, Switzerland, where a Hans Knettel was listed as a resident in the 15th century.
While the surname Knettel is not among the most common surnames in the world, it has left its mark in various parts of Europe, particularly in Germany, where it originated and has been present for centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knettel
Among Census respondents with the surname Knettel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Knettel 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 Knettel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 157
- Two or more races5.3% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knettel
Knettel 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+16 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 3,806 places
2020
#110,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 169
+24 bearers (+16.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 8,547 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | +16 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 3,806 places |
| 2020 | #110,961 | 169 | 0.06 | +24 bearers (+16.6%) | Up 8,547 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 Knettel 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 | #119,508 | #110,961 | 7.2% |
| Count | 145 | 169 | 16.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 13.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knettel bearers went from 145 to 169 (+16.6% change). The surname moved up 8,547 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #110,961.
FAQ
Knettel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knettel?
Name Census estimates that about 194 living Americans carry the surname Knettel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,766,775 residents.
How common is Knettel?
Knettel ranks #110,961 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 169 people with the surname Knettel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Knettel.
Has Knettel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knettel went from 145 recorded bearers to 169. That is an increase of 24 (+16.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #119,508 to #110,961.
What does the Census say about the background of Knettel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knettel, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Knettel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (157 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knettel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Knettel (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 Knettel mean?
A German surname derived from the German word "Knittel", meaning a knotted club or stick. 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 Knettel (0.06 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 Knettel?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Knettel at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.