2000
#8,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Knuth
Derived from the Middle Low German word "knūt," meaning a brave or bold person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,167 Americans carry the last name Knuth. That puts it at #8,662 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,254 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knuth 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
4.2K
1 in 82,254
Census rank
#8,662
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,634 bearers of the surname Knuth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8662nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knuth
The surname KNUTH is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "Knuth", which referred to a thick or bulky person. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany.
In the 14th century, the name KNUTH appeared in several historical documents and records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of charters and documents related to the Margraviate of Brandenburg. One notable bearer of the name during this time was Hermann Knuth, a landowner and nobleman in the region of Pomerania.
By the 15th century, the KNUTH name had spread to other parts of northern Germany, with records indicating families bearing the name in cities such as Hamburg and Lübeck. During this period, the name was also associated with certain place names, such as Knuthenburg, a town in the former duchy of Holstein.
The 16th century saw the emergence of several prominent figures with the KNUTH surname. One of the most notable was Reinhold Knuth, a German mathematician and astronomer born in 1544. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and served as a professor at the University of Rostock.
In the 17th century, the KNUTH name gained recognition in the field of theology with the birth of Christian Knuth (1610-1676), a Lutheran theologian and author from Schleswig-Holstein. His works, such as "Conciliatoria Sacra" and "Concordia Discors", explored the reconciliation of religious differences.
The 18th century brought forth another notable figure, Johann Knuth (1701-1771), a German jurist and statesman. He served as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Holstein and played a significant role in the administration of the region.
In the 19th century, the KNUTH surname continued to be associated with prominent individuals, such as Eberhard Knuth (1838-1909), a German botanist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of South American flora.
Throughout history, the KNUTH name has been carried by numerous individuals across various fields, including science, academia, politics, and the arts, making it a notable surname with a rich heritage rooted in the German language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knuth
Among Census respondents with the surname Knuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Knuth 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 Knuth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 3,384
- Two or more races2.8% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knuth
Knuth 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
#8,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,927
+196 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#8,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,634
-293 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,176 | 3,731 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,415 | 3,927 | 1.33 | +196 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #8,662 | 3,634 | 1.22 | -293 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 247 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 Knuth 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 | #8,415 | #8,662 | -2.9% |
| Count | 3,927 | 3,634 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.22 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knuth bearers went from 3,927 to 3,634 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,415 to #8,662.
FAQ
Knuth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knuth?
Name Census estimates that about 4,167 living Americans carry the surname Knuth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,254 residents.
How common is Knuth?
Knuth ranks #8,662 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,634 people with the surname Knuth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,167), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Knuth.
Has Knuth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knuth went from 3,927 recorded bearers to 3,634. That is a decrease of 293 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,415 to #8,662.
What does the Census say about the background of Knuth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knuth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Knuth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (3,384 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knuth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Knuth (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 Knuth mean?
Derived from the Middle Low German word "knūt," meaning a brave or bold person. 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 Knuth (1.22 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 Knuth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.