2000
#20,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,200
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.44
Rare Last name
Knittel
An occupational surname derived from the German word "knitter," referring to someone who was a weaver or knitter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,433 Americans carry the last name Knittel. That puts it at #21,322 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 239,187 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knittel 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
1.4K
1 in 239,187
Census rank
#21,322
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,250 bearers of the surname Knittel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21322nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knittel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knittel
Among Census respondents with the surname Knittel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Knittel 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 Knittel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,123
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 69
- Two or more races2.9% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knittel
Knittel 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
#20,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,254
+54 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 442 places
2020
#21,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,250
-4 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 337 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,543 | 1,200 | 0.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,985 | 1,254 | 0.43 | +54 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 442 places |
| 2020 | #21,322 | 1,250 | 0.42 | -4 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 337 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 Knittel 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 | #20,985 | #21,322 | -1.6% |
| Count | 1,254 | 1,250 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.42 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knittel bearers went from 1,254 to 1,250 (-0.3% change). The surname moved down 337 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,985 to #21,322.
FAQ
Knittel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knittel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,433 living Americans carry the surname Knittel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 239,187 residents.
How common is Knittel?
Knittel ranks #21,322 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 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 1,250 people with the surname Knittel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,433), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 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 Knittel.
Has Knittel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knittel went from 1,254 recorded bearers to 1,250. That is a decrease of 4 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,985 to #21,322.
What does the Census say about the background of Knittel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knittel, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Knittel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knittel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Knittel (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 Knittel mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "knitter," referring to someone who was a weaver or knitter. 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 Knittel (0.42 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 Knittel?
See how many people are called Knittel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.