2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Knopes
An uncommon surname potentially derived from a German topographic name referring to a hillock or knoll.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Knopes. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knopes 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Knopes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knopes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knopes
The surname Knopes has its origins in the region of Lower Saxony in northern Germany, dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "knop," which means "knob" or "protruding object." It is thought that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a prominent nose or other facial feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Knopes surname is found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the former state of Bremen, dated around 1220. The entry mentions a certain "Henricus Knopes" as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 14th century, the Knopes name appeared in several church records and tax rolls in the towns of Lüneburg and Celle, both located in the modern-day state of Lower Saxony. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during that time period.
The Knopes surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Johann Knopes (1525-1589), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on the Protestant Reformation. Another was Hans Knopes (1610-1678), a merchant and landowner from the city of Hamburg who was known for his philanthropic efforts.
In the 17th century, the Knopes name found its way to the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Knoops." One prominent bearer of this variation was Pieter Knoops (1659-1726), a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in still-life and genre scenes.
Moving into the 18th century, a notable Knopes was Carl Friedrich Knopes (1741-1819), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the city of Hannover. He was widely regarded as an expert in civil law and authored several influential legal treatises.
As the Knopes surname spread across Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through emigration. For instance, in the 19th century, there were several Knopes families who settled in the United States, particularly in the state of Pennsylvania.
While the Knopes name may not be among the most common surnames today, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in medieval Germany. The name has been borne by scholars, artists, and professionals throughout the ages, serving as a testament to its enduring legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knopes
Among Census respondents with the surname Knopes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Knopes 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 Knopes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 101
- Two or more races7.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knopes
Knopes 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+4 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,150 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-13 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 5,150 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 13,072 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 Knopes 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 | #135,593 | #148,665 | -9.6% |
| Count | 124 | 111 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knopes bearers went from 124 to 111 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 13,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #148,665.
FAQ
Knopes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knopes?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Knopes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Knopes?
Knopes ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Knopes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Knopes.
Has Knopes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knopes went from 124 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Knopes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knopes, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Knopes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knopes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (7.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Knopes (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 Knopes mean?
An uncommon surname potentially derived from a German topographic name referring to a hillock or knoll. 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 Knopes (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 people have the surname Knopes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.