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

Knittel, 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 Knittel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knittel in America

Knittel is the 20985th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knittel surname appeared 1,254 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Knittel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knittel 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 Knittel

The surname Knittel has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Knüttel," which means a thick stick or a club. This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with someone who worked with such tools, perhaps as a woodcutter or a craftsman.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, where a certain Hans Knittel was mentioned in the town's records in 1548. This indicates that the name was already established in the region during that time period.

In the 17th century, the surname appears in various historical records from different parts of Germany. For instance, a Johann Knittel was recorded in the city of Leipzig in 1624, while a Caspar Knittel was documented in the town of Grimma in 1678.

The name also found its way into the artistic realm, with the German painter and engraver Johann Knittel (1670-1733) being one of the earliest notable individuals bearing this surname. His works, primarily religious engravings and etchings, can be found in several museums across Europe.

Another prominent figure was the German theologian and philosopher Friedrich Adolf Knittel (1739-1811), who was a professor at the University of Heidelberg and an influential thinker of his time. His works focused on ethics, natural law, and the philosophy of religion.

In the 19th century, the surname Knittel started to spread beyond Germany's borders. One such example is the American journalist and author Eberhard Knittel (1836-1914), who was born in Germany but immigrated to the United States and became a respected figure in the German-American community.

As the name continued to disperse, it gained recognition in various fields. One notable figure was the German-American physicist Max Knittel (1892-1970), who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics and worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II.

These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse backgrounds associated with the surname Knittel, originating from a humble German word but eventually finding its place in different spheres of society across multiple countries and centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knittel

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

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

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

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