2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Knouf
A variant spelling of the German occupational surname Knauf, referring to someone who made or sold buttons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Knouf. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knouf 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Knouf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knouf, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knouf
The surname KNOUF is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around the city of Hamburg, during the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Low German word "knuff," which means "a blow" or "a punch," suggesting that the name may have been given as a nickname to someone who was known for their physical strength or tendency to engage in fights.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KNOUF can be found in the church records of St. Petri in Hamburg, where a certain Johann KNOUF was listed as a resident in 1583. Another early mention of the name comes from the tax records of the nearby town of Lüneburg, where a Hans KNOUF was recorded as a landowner in 1612.
The name KNOUF appears to have spread beyond the boundaries of northern Germany in the 17th and 18th centuries, as records show individuals bearing this surname in other parts of the region. For instance, a Christoph KNOUF was born in the city of Dresden in 1697, and a family by the name of KNOUF is documented as having lived in the town of Magdeburg during the 1720s.
One notable individual with the surname KNOUF was Johann Friedrich KNOUF (1721-1789), a German philosopher and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Göttingen. He was known for his contributions to the field of ethics and his works on moral philosophy.
Another person of historical significance was Karl KNOUF (1856-1917), a German architect who was responsible for the design of several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank (Imperial Bank) and the Bode Museum.
In the realm of literature, the name KNOUF is associated with the German writer and poet Heinrich KNOUF (1882-1957), who was known for his lyrical works and his contributions to the Expressionist movement in literature.
Beyond Germany, the surname KNOUF has also been found in various parts of Europe, albeit less commonly. For example, records show a family by the name of KNOUF living in the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the late 17th century, while another branch of the family is documented in the town of Bern, Switzerland, during the 1800s.
Throughout its history, the surname KNOUF has remained relatively rare, but its presence across different regions and time periods speaks to its enduring legacy and the diverse paths taken by those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knouf
Among Census respondents with the surname Knouf, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Knouf 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 Knouf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 9
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knouf
Knouf 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-5 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,178 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-17 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 12,178 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 16,223 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 Knouf 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 | #134,712 | #150,935 | -12.0% |
| Count | 125 | 108 | -13.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knouf bearers went from 125 to 108 (-13.6% change). The surname moved down 16,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #150,935.
FAQ
Knouf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knouf?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Knouf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Knouf?
Knouf ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Knouf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Knouf.
Has Knouf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knouf went from 125 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Knouf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knouf, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Knouf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knouf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Knouf (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 Knouf mean?
A variant spelling of the German occupational surname Knauf, referring to someone who made or sold buttons. 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 Knouf (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 Knouf?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Knouf? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.