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

Knopp, 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 Knopp surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knopp in America

Knopp is the 8080th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knopp surname appeared 4,103 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 Knopp.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knopp 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 Knopp

The surname Knopp has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages. The name is thought to derive from the Middle High German word "knopp," which referred to a knob or a button, potentially indicating a profession or occupation related to button-making or similar crafts.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Knopp can be found in the German city of Nuremberg, where a certain Johannes Knopp was mentioned in a tax register dating back to the 14th century. The name also appeared in various court records and municipal documents from the same time period in other parts of southern Germany.

In the 16th century, the surname Knopp started to spread beyond its original heartland in southern Germany. Records from this era show Knopp families residing in towns and villages across the German states, including areas such as Saxony, Brandenburg, and Pomerania.

One notable individual with the surname Knopp was Johann Knopp, a renowned German clockmaker who lived in Nuremberg during the late 16th century. His intricate and beautifully crafted clocks were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy merchants of the time.

Another historical figure bearing the Knopp name was Christoph Knopp, a German Lutheran theologian and educator who lived in the 17th century. He served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and was known for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy.

In the 18th century, the Knopp surname gained prominence in the region of Silesia, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. One notable Silesian Knopp was Johann Gottlieb Knopp, a renowned composer and organist who lived from 1711 to 1778. His compositions for organ and church choir were highly regarded and widely performed during his lifetime.

As the German diaspora spread across the globe in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Knopp surname was carried to various parts of the world by emigrant families. Today, descendants of these German Knopp families can be found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knopp

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

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

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

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