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

Knopfler, 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 Knopfler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knopfler in America

Knopfler is the 65964th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knopfler surname appeared 300 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Knopfler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knopfler 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 Knopfler

The surname KNOPFLER is of German origin and dates back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly around the Black Forest region. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "knopf," meaning "button" or "knob," and is thought to have initially referred to a person who made or sold buttons or knobs.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KNOPFLER surname can be found in the town records of Freiburg im Breisgau, a city in the Black Forest region, in the year 1587. The name was recorded as "Knopfler" and referred to a family of button makers who had settled in the town.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the KNOPFLER name spread across various parts of Germany, with families bearing this surname appearing in records from cities such as Stuttgart, Munich, and Berlin. During this period, variations in the spelling of the name also emerged, including "Knopfler," "Knopfler," and "Knöpfler."

In the 19th century, several notable individuals with the KNOPFLER surname emerged. One such person was Johann Georg Knopfler (1795-1865), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and architectural works. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Knopfler (1838-1917), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag, the parliament of the German Empire.

As the KNOPFLER family spread across Europe and beyond, the name also appeared in other countries. In the late 19th century, records show a KNOPFLER family residing in the town of Liptovský Mikuláš, in what is now Slovakia. This branch of the family is believed to have originated from the German-speaking regions of Austria-Hungary.

One of the most famous individuals to bear the KNOPFLER surname is Mark Knopfler, the British singer-songwriter and guitarist born in 1949. He is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Dire Straits. While his surname is of German origin, Mark Knopfler's family had been living in Scotland for several generations before his birth.

Other notable individuals with the KNOPFLER surname include Hans Knopfler (1865-1945), an Austrian painter and graphic artist; Franz Knopfler (1838-1917), a German architect and urban planner; and Wilhelm Knopfler (1818-1892), a German landscape painter known for his depictions of the Black Forest region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knopfler

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

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

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

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