2000
#13,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,042
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Knutsen
Derived from the Scandinavian personal name Knut, meaning "knot," combined with the patronymic suffix "-sen," denoting "son of Knut."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,366 Americans carry the last name Knutsen. That puts it at #13,997 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,867 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knutsen 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
2.4K
1 in 144,867
Census rank
#13,997
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,063 bearers of the surname Knutsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13997th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knutsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knutsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Knutsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Knutsen 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 Knutsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 1,854
- Two or more races4.2% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knutsen
Knutsen 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
#13,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,358
+316 bearers (+15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 605 places
2020
#13,997
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,063
-295 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 974 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,628 | 2,042 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,023 | 2,358 | 0.80 | +316 bearers (+15.5%) | Up 605 places |
| 2020 | #13,997 | 2,063 | 0.69 | -295 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 974 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 Knutsen 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 | #13,023 | #13,997 | -7.5% |
| Count | 2,358 | 2,063 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.69 | -13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knutsen bearers went from 2,358 to 2,063 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 974 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,023 to #13,997.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Knutsen
FAQ
Knutsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knutsen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,366 living Americans carry the surname Knutsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,867 residents.
How common is Knutsen?
Knutsen ranks #13,997 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,063 people with the surname Knutsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,366), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Knutsen.
Has Knutsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knutsen went from 2,358 recorded bearers to 2,063. That is a decrease of 295 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,023 to #13,997.
What does the Census say about the background of Knutsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knutsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Knutsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (1,854 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knutsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Knutsen (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 Knutsen mean?
Derived from the Scandinavian personal name Knut, meaning "knot," combined with the patronymic suffix "-sen," denoting "son of Knut." 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 Knutsen (0.69 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 Knutsen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.