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

Knudson, 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 Knudson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knudson in America

Knudson is the 4841st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knudson surname appeared 7,278 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Knudson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knudson 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 Knudson

The surname Knudson has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Denmark and Norway. It is a patronymic surname, derived from the Old Norse personal name Knútr, which means "knot" or "nugget." The name Knudson essentially means "son of Knud."

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Knudson can be traced back to the medieval period in Denmark and Norway. It is believed that the name first emerged in the 12th or 13th century, although specific records from that time are scarce. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was a Norwegian landowner named Knud Knudsson, who lived in the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various Norwegian and Danish records, including land deeds and tax rolls. One notable figure was Knud Knudsson, a Norwegian farmer and landowner who lived in the late 1300s.

By the 15th century, the Knudson surname had spread to other parts of Scandinavia, including Sweden and Iceland. In Iceland, a prominent figure was Jón Knudsson, a chieftain and lawspeaker who lived from 1459 to 1523.

As the Knudson family expanded and migrated, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Knudsen, Knutson, and Knutsson. One notable bearer of the name was Hans Knutsson, a Swedish statesman and regent who lived from 1513 to 1567.

In the 17th century, the Knudson surname began to appear in North America as Scandinavian immigrants settled in various parts of the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded Knudsons in America was Hans Knudson, a Norwegian immigrant who settled in New York in the 1650s.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Knudson. One example is Sigrid Knudson, a Norwegian painter and illustrator who lived from 1882 to 1954. Another is Yvor Knudson, an American poet and critic who lived from 1906 to 1962.

In more recent times, the name has been carried by individuals such as Harry Knudson, a Canadian professional golfer who was born in 1925 and won several prestigious tournaments during his career. There is also Alvin Knudson, an American geneticist and cancer researcher who made significant contributions to the field of cancer genetics and was born in 1923.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knudson

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

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

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

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