2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Knippling
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of lace or trimmings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Knippling. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knippling 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Knippling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knippling, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knippling
The surname KNIPPLING has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Knippling," which referred to a type of lace-making technique involving intricate knitting or crocheting. This occupation-based surname likely originated from regions where lace-making was a prominent industry, such as the German states of Saxony and Bavaria.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the church records of Nuremberg, Germany, where a Johannes Knippling was mentioned in 1587. Similarly, in the city of Dresden, a certain Anna Maria Knippling was documented in 1642, possibly a skilled lace-maker herself.
The KNIPPLING surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany. For instance, there was a village called Knipplingen in the region of Swabia, which could have contributed to the surname's development. Additionally, the spelling variation "Knippel" was sometimes used interchangeably with "Knippling" in certain areas.
Historically, the KNIPPLING surname has been carried by several notable individuals. One such person was Johann Knippling (1723-1789), a renowned goldsmith and metalworker from Augsburg, whose intricate designs and craftsmanship were highly sought after during his lifetime. Another significant figure was Wilhelm Knippling (1856-1932), a German politician and member of the Reichstag, who played a role in shaping the country's policies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Other notable bearers of the KNIPPLING surname include Hans Knippling (1865-1927), a prominent architect known for his work on various churches and public buildings in Berlin; Margarethe Knippling (1879-1953), a respected educator and advocate for women's rights; and Erich Knippling (1902-1981), a celebrated composer and conductor who contributed significantly to the development of contemporary classical music in Germany.
While the surname KNIPPLING may have originated from a specific occupation, it has since become a part of Germany's rich cultural heritage, carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and fields, each leaving their mark on the country's history and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knippling
Among Census respondents with the surname Knippling, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Knippling 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 Knippling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 102
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knippling
Knippling 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+12 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,800 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,387 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 2,800 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,387 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 Knippling 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 | #142,108 | #146,495 | -3.1% |
| Count | 117 | 114 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knippling bearers went from 117 to 114 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,387 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #146,495.
FAQ
Knippling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knippling?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Knippling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Knippling?
Knippling ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Knippling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Knippling.
Has Knippling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knippling went from 117 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Knippling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knippling, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.1%) and Black (2.6%). 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 Knippling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knippling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (6.1%), Black (2.6%). 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 Knippling (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 Knippling mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of lace or trimmings. 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 Knippling (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 Americans have the surname Knippling?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.