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

Knutsen, 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 Knutsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knutsen in America

Knutsen is the 13023rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knutsen surname appeared 2,358 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 Knutsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knutsen 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 Knutsen

The surname Knutsen is of Scandinavian origin, originating primarily from Norway and Denmark. It is a patronymic name, meaning it is derived from the father's given name. In this case, Knutsen means "son of Knut" with the suffix -sen indicating "son of."

The name Knut is an Old Norse name composed of the elements knút, meaning "knot," and arr, meaning "warrior" or "host." It is believed to have originally been a nickname for someone with a sturdy or muscular build. The name Knut was widely used in medieval Scandinavia and was brought to England by the Danish King Canute the Great (995-1035), who conquered parts of England in the 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Knutsen can be found in the Norwegian census records from the 16th century. The earliest known bearer of the name was Knut Knutsen, a farmer from the Telemark region of Norway, who was mentioned in records from 1567.

In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Knutsen was Niels Knutsen Bølle (1630-1695), a Norwegian farmer and landowner from the Hallingdal region. He was known for his involvement in local politics and for his successful management of his landholdings.

In the 18th century, the name Knutsen was associated with the Norwegian shipping industry. Hans Knutsen (1712-1789) was a prominent shipowner and merchant from Bergen, who owned several trading vessels that sailed to ports throughout Europe.

In more recent history, Torbjørn Knutsen (1857-1929) was a Norwegian politician and member of the Norwegian Parliament, representing the Liberal Party. He played a significant role in the negotiations leading to Norway's peaceful dissolution from the union with Sweden in 1905.

Another notable figure was Nils Knutsen (1892-1974), a Norwegian explorer and oceanographer. He led several scientific expeditions to the Arctic regions and made significant contributions to the understanding of ocean currents and marine life in the polar regions.

While the surname Knutsen originated in Scandinavia, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement patterns. Today, the name can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knutsen

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

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

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

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