Knollenberg
A topographic surname derived from the German word for "small hill" or "knoll".
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 446 Americans carry the last name Knollenberg. That puts it at #52,736 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 768,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knollenberg surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
446
1 in 768,507
Census rank
#52,736
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
393
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 393 bearers of the surname Knollenberg in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52736th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knollenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knollenberg
The surname KNOLLENBERG originates from Germany and is believed to date back to the 16th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old German words "knoll" meaning a small round hill, and "berg" meaning a mountain or hill. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a distinctive rounded hilltop.
KNOLLENBERG is thought to have first appeared in the region of Bavaria in southern Germany. Early variations of the spelling included Knollenberger, Knollenberg, and Knollberger. The name may have originated in the town of Knollenberg itself, though records of an exact location are scarce.
One of the earliest known references to the KNOLLENBERG name appears in the Bavarian church records of Mühldorf am Inn from the late 1500s. An entry from 1589 mentions a Hans Knollenberg who was a local farmer and landowner.
In the 17th century, the KNOLLENBERG name crops up in various Germanic records and manuscripts from towns across Bavaria and parts of Austria. Notable examples include a Johann Knollenberger born in 1621 in the village of Ruhstorf an der Rott, and a Michael Knollenberg who was a master baker in Traunstein in 1673.
As the centuries passed, people with the KNOLLENBERG surname gradually spread across the German states and into neighboring European countries. Georg Knollenberg (1770-1847) was a respected jurist and legal scholar who served in the courts of Weimar. Franz Knollenberg (1828-1898) was a Munich-born artist renowned for his landscape paintings.
Other notable individuals with this surname include the historian Bernhard Knollenberg (1892-1973), who taught at Yale University and wrote extensively on the American Revolution. Ernst Knollenberg (1810-1865) was a Prussian military officer who served in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knollenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Knollenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Knollenberg bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Knollenberg surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6%
- Two or more races3.3%
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3%
- Hispanic or Latino1.3%
Year on year
2010 vs 2010 Census
How has the Knollenberg surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2010 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #52,736 | #52,736 | 0.0% |
| Count | 393 | 393 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2010 Census, the number of Knollenberg bearers went from 393 to 393 (+0.0% change). The surname held its position in the national ranking, going from #52,736 to #52,736.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Knollenberg
FAQ
Knollenberg surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Knollenberg?
The surname Knollenberg holds position #52,736 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 446 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Knollenberg surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knollenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.3%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.