2000
#3,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,877
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.29
Uncommon Last name
Knudsen
A patronymic surname of Danish origin meaning "son of Knud," derived from the Old Norse name Knutr.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,455 Americans carry the last name Knudsen. That puts it at #3,801 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,784 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knudsen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Knudsen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,784
Census rank
#3,801
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,117 bearers of the surname Knudsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3801st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knudsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knudsen
The surname Knudsen originated in Denmark and is a patronymic name, meaning it was derived from the given name of the father or an ancestor. In this case, Knudsen is the Danish equivalent of the English surname Johnson, both of which stem from a personal name.
Knudsen is derived from the Old Norse personal name Knútr, which means "knot" or "nugget." This name was quite popular during the Viking Age and was borne by several Danish kings, including the famous King Canute the Great, who ruled England, Denmark, and Norway in the 11th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Knudsen can be traced back to the 13th century in various Danish records and chronicles. One notable early bearer of the name was Knud Svendsen Knudsen, a Danish nobleman who lived in the late 13th century and was a prominent figure in the court of King Eric V of Denmark.
In the following centuries, the Knudsen surname began to spread throughout Denmark and other Scandinavian countries. Several notable individuals with this surname emerged, including the Danish astronomer Thomas Knudsen (1638-1696), who made significant contributions to the study of comets and the motion of the planets.
Another prominent figure was Søren Andreas Knudsen (1776-1848), a Norwegian-born Danish politician and jurist who served as the Prime Minister of Denmark from 1842 to 1848. He played a crucial role in the introduction of democratic reforms in Denmark during the 19th century.
In the field of literature, the Danish author and poet Knud Knudsen (1812-1876) gained recognition for his lyrical works and his contributions to the development of Danish literature during the Romantic period.
The Knudsen surname can also be found in other parts of Scandinavia, including Norway and Sweden, where it has similar origins and meanings. One notable Norwegian bearer of the name was Hans Christian Knudsen (1763-1828), a sailor and explorer who was the first European to set foot on the Antarctic mainland in 1823.
Throughout history, the Knudsen surname has been associated with various professions and fields, including academia, politics, exploration, and the arts, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knudsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Knudsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Knudsen 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 Knudsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 8,257
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 346
- Two or more races3.5% · 317
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 80
- Black or African American0.4% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knudsen
Knudsen 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
#3,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,104
+227 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 3.09
Rank movement Down 223 places
2020
#3,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,117
+13 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 3.05
Rank movement Up 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,675 | 8,877 | 3.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,898 | 9,104 | 3.09 | +227 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 223 places |
| 2020 | #3,801 | 9,117 | 3.05 | +13 bearers (+0.1%) | Up 97 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 Knudsen 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 | #3,898 | #3,801 | 2.5% |
| Count | 9,104 | 9,117 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.09 | 3.05 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knudsen bearers went from 9,104 to 9,117 (+0.1% change). The surname moved up 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,898 to #3,801.
FAQ
Knudsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knudsen?
Name Census estimates that about 10,455 living Americans carry the surname Knudsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,784 residents.
How common is Knudsen?
Knudsen ranks #3,801 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,117 people with the surname Knudsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,455), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Knudsen.
Has Knudsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knudsen went from 9,104 recorded bearers to 9,117. That is an increase of 13 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,898 to #3,801.
What does the Census say about the background of Knudsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knudsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Knudsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (8,257 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knudsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Knudsen (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 Knudsen mean?
A patronymic surname of Danish origin meaning "son of Knud," derived from the Old Norse name Knutr. 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 Knudsen (3.05 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 have the surname Knudsen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.