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

Knickerbocker, 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 Knickerbocker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knickerbocker in America

Knickerbocker is the 11163rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knickerbocker surname appeared 2,834 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Knickerbocker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knickerbocker 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 Knickerbocker

The surname Knickerbocker originated in the Netherlands and is derived from the Dutch words "knokker" meaning toy marble maker, and "backer" meaning baker. It is believed to have first emerged in the 16th century, referring to bakers who made small toys or figures out of leftover dough for children.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in a 1647 document from the Dutch city of Utrecht, which mentions a Hendrick Jansen Knickerbocker. Another early record is from 1668, where a Lourens Knickerbocker is listed as a resident of the town of Monnickendam, near Amsterdam.

The name gained prominence in the early 18th century when it was used by American writer Washington Irving in his satirical work "A History of New York" (1809). Irving's fictional character, Diedrich Knickerbocker, is portrayed as the author of the book and is credited with giving the name to the Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam (now New York City).

Notable individuals with the Knickerbocker surname include:

1. Herman Knickerbocker (1779-1855), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.
2. Hubert Fauntleroy Knickerbocker (1836-1911), an American businessman and financier who co-founded the Knickerbocker Trust Company in New York City.
3. Cholly Knickerbocker (1892-1957), an American newspaper columnist and social commentator whose real name was Samuel Lederer Chambers.
4. Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker (1898-1949), an American writer and journalist who served as a war correspondent during World War II.
5. Conrad Knickerbocker (1923-2020), an American composer and music educator who taught at the University of Southern California for over 50 years.

The surname Knickerbocker is also associated with several place names in the United States, such as Knickerbocker Village in New York City and Knickerbocker Lake in Washington state, reflecting the influence of Washington Irving's literary work and the Dutch heritage of early American settlers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knickerbocker

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

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

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

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