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

Knop, 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 Knop surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knop in America

Knop is the 16179th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knop surname appeared 1,786 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 Knop.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knop 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 Knop

The surname Knop is of German origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the 14th century. The name is derived from the German word "knopf," which means "knob" or "button," and it was likely an occupational name for someone who made or sold buttons or knobs.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Knop can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, Germany, where a person named Hans Knop was mentioned in the year 1392. The name also appeared in other German cities and towns during the late medieval period, such as in the records of the city of Cologne in the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name Knop appeared in various historical documents and records across different regions of Germany. For example, a person named Jost Knop was mentioned in the records of the city of Augsburg in 1521, while a person named Peter Knop was listed in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1568.

One notable person with the surname Knop was Johann Knop, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Nuremberg around 1525 and is known for his religious paintings and engravings, some of which can still be found in various churches and museums across Germany.

Another person of note was Johann Knop, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Halle, Germany, in 1625 and made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the motion of planets.

In the 18th century, the name Knop appeared in various parts of Europe, including in the Netherlands and Austria. One notable individual was Johann Knop, an Austrian composer and organist who lived from 1725 to 1786. He was known for his compositions for organ and other instruments, and some of his works are still performed today.

The surname Knop has also been found in other parts of the world, such as in the United States, where it was likely brought by German immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. One notable American with the surname Knop was Gerhard Knop, a German-American artist and painter who lived from 1891 to 1973. He was known for his landscape paintings and his works can be found in various museums and art galleries across the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knop

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

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

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

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