2000
#11,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,534
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Knopf
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of buttons, knobs, or other small rounded objects.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,815 Americans carry the last name Knopf. That puts it at #12,118 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,760 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knopf 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
2.8K
1 in 121,760
Census rank
#12,118
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,455 bearers of the surname Knopf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12118th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knopf, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knopf
The surname Knopf originates from the German language and has its roots in the country of Germany. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, sometime between the 12th and 15th centuries. The name is derived from the German word "Knopf," which means "button" or "knob," and was likely an occupational surname given to a maker of buttons or knobs.
Knopf is found in several historical records and documents from various regions of Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hanseatic League's records, dating back to the 14th century. The Hanseatic League was a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Knopf surname was Johannes Knopf, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1509 to 1563. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and actively supported the teachings of Martin Luther.
Another historical figure with the Knopf surname was Johann Gottfried Knopf, a German composer and organist who lived from 1742 to 1808. He is known for his contributions to the development of organ music and compositions for the instrument.
The surname Knopf can also be traced back to various place names in Germany, such as Knopflingen, a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and Knopfmühle, a village in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. These place names likely derived from the word "Knopf" and may have influenced the surname's development.
In the 19th century, a notable individual with the Knopf surname was Alfred A. Knopf, an American publisher who founded the prestigious Alfred A. Knopf publishing house in 1915. He was born in 1892 in St. Louis, Missouri, to German-American parents, and his publishing company became known for its literary excellence and influential authors.
Another prominent figure with the Knopf surname was Walter Knopf, a German-American film producer and screenwriter who lived from 1906 to 1989. He was known for his work on several notable films, including "The Pride of the Yankees" (1942) and "Sabrina" (1954).
While the surname Knopf may have evolved over time and taken on various spellings in different regions, its origins can be traced back to the German language and its connection to the occupation of button or knob making during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knopf
Among Census respondents with the surname Knopf, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Knopf 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 Knopf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 2,301
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 70
- Two or more races2.1% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 23
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knopf
Knopf 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
#12,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,556
+22 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 783 places
2020
#12,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,455
-101 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,405 | 2,534 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,188 | 2,556 | 0.87 | +22 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 783 places |
| 2020 | #12,118 | 2,455 | 0.82 | -101 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 70 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 Knopf 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 | #12,188 | #12,118 | 0.6% |
| Count | 2,556 | 2,455 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.82 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knopf bearers went from 2,556 to 2,455 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,188 to #12,118.
FAQ
Knopf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knopf?
Name Census estimates that about 2,815 living Americans carry the surname Knopf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,760 residents.
How common is Knopf?
Knopf ranks #12,118 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,455 people with the surname Knopf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,815), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Knopf.
Has Knopf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knopf went from 2,556 recorded bearers to 2,455. That is a decrease of 101 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,188 to #12,118.
What does the Census say about the background of Knopf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knopf, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Knopf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (2,301 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knopf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Knopf (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 Knopf mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of buttons, knobs, or other small rounded objects. 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 Knopf (0.82 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 share the surname Knopf?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.