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

Knorr, 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 Knorr surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knorr in America

Knorr is the 7665th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knorr surname appeared 4,333 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 Knorr.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knorr 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 Knorr

The surname Knorr originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "knorre," which means a knot or gnarled piece of wood, suggesting that the name may have been originally used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a gnarled or twisted appearance.

The earliest known record of the Knorr name appears in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries, where it is spelled "Knor" and "Knorre." This suggests that the name was initially associated with the region of present-day Germany and Austria.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Knorre," "Knorr," and "Knor," in municipal records and other historical documents from cities like Nuremberg and Augsburg. During this time, the name was also associated with places like Knorringen, a village in the Rhineland region of Germany.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Knorr surname was Hanns Knorr, a merchant from Nuremberg who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Johann Knorr (1565-1622), a German mathematician and astronomer who published works on various scientific topics.

In the 17th century, the name gained prominence with Georg Wolfgang Knorr (1705-1761), a German engraver and publisher known for his intricate botanical illustrations. Johann Georg Knorr (1770-1852), a German botanist and entomologist, also made significant contributions to the study of plants and insects.

The Knorr surname also spread to other parts of Europe, including Switzerland and the Netherlands. One notable individual was Niklaus Knorr (1612-1672), a Swiss painter and etcher who was known for his landscapes and scenes of everyday life.

Throughout history, the Knorr name has been associated with various professions and fields, including commerce, science, art, and academia, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals bearing this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knorr

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!