2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Knoppe
An occupational surname derived from the Old English word "cnoppa" meaning "knob" or "knot".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Knoppe. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knoppe 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Knoppe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knoppe, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knoppe
The surname KNOPPE is of German origin, and it can be traced back to the early 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "knoppe," which means "knob" or "button." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold buttons or knobs.
The earliest recorded instances of the KNOPPE surname can be found in various historical records from the German states, such as church records and tax rolls. One notable mention is in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Münster, Westphalia, where a certain Johann KNOPPE is listed as a resident in 1426.
In the 16th century, the surname KNOPPE appeared in several legal documents from the city of Hamburg, where it was often spelled as "Knopp" or "Knop." This variation in spelling was common during that time period, as there were no standardized rules for surnames.
One of the earliest known bearers of the KNOPPE surname was Hans KNOPPE, a merchant from the city of Bremen who lived in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several trade records from the Hanseatic League, an influential medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and their market towns.
Another notable figure with the KNOPPE surname was Johann Friedrich KNOPPE (1722-1792), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Göttingen. He was known for his work on natural theology and his contributions to the Enlightenment movement.
In the 19th century, the KNOPPE surname gained prominence in the world of art and literature. August Wilhelm KNOPPE (1804-1868) was a German painter and lithographer who specialized in landscape and genre scenes. His works were widely exhibited and praised during his lifetime.
Wilhelm KNOPPE (1856-1920) was a German novelist and playwright who wrote several popular works, including the novel "Die Kinder von St. Lorenz" (The Children of St. Lawrence) and the play "Die Heidekinder" (The Heather Children).
As the KNOPPE surname spread across Germany and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Knop, Knope, and Knopf. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local customs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knoppe
Among Census respondents with the surname Knoppe, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Knoppe 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 Knoppe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 99
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knoppe
Knoppe appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 8,823 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 Knoppe 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 | #156,044 | #147,221 | 5.7% |
| Count | 104 | 113 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knoppe bearers went from 104 to 113 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 8,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #147,221.
FAQ
Knoppe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knoppe?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Knoppe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Knoppe?
Knoppe ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Knoppe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Knoppe.
Has Knoppe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knoppe went from 104 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 9 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Knoppe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knoppe, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Knoppe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knoppe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (7.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Knoppe (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 Knoppe mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old English word "cnoppa" meaning "knob" or "knot". 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 Knoppe (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 are called Knoppe?
See how many people have the surname Knoppe on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.