2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Knutter
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a German occupational term related to weaving or knitting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Knutter. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knutter 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Knutter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knutter
The surname KNUTTER is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "knutten," which means "to knot" or "to tie." It is likely that the name was initially given to someone who worked as a knotter or rope maker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KNUTTER surname can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, where a Hans Knutter is mentioned as a resident in 1428. The name also appears in the historical records of Leipzig, with a Konrad Knutter listed as a merchant in 1512.
In the 16th century, the KNUTTER name is associated with a prominent family of Protestant reformers in the city of Wittenberg. Martin Knutter (1513-1567) was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Reformation movement. His son, Johannes Knutter (1545-1612), also became a noted theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the KNUTTER surname spread across various regions of Germany, with notable individuals such as Johann Knutter (1635-1701), a renowned jurist and legal scholar from Saxony, and Christoph Knutter (1678-1742), a respected clockmaker and inventor from Nuremberg.
The name KNUTTER can also be traced to several place names in Germany, such as Knutterau in Hesse and Knutterberg in Thuringia, suggesting that the surname may have originated from these locations.
Other notable individuals with the KNUTTER surname include:
1. Friedrich Knutter (1816-1889), a German composer and conductor
2. Karl Knutter (1856-1928), a German politician and member of the Reichstag
3. Erich Knutter (1878-1945), a German architect and urban planner
4. Wilhelm Knutter (1880-1958), a German mathematician and professor
5. Helene Knutter (1904-1991), a German activist and advocate for women's rights
While the KNUTTER surname is not among the most common in Germany today, its origins can be traced back several centuries, with a rich history deeply rooted in the cultural and intellectual fabric of various German regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knutter
Among Census respondents with the surname Knutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Knutter 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 Knutter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knutter
Knutter 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,437 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 701 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 Knutter 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 | #147,253 | #147,954 | -0.5% |
| Count | 112 | 112 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knutter bearers went from 112 to 112 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 701 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,954.
FAQ
Knutter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knutter?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Knutter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Knutter?
Knutter ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Knutter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Knutter.
Has Knutter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knutter went from 112 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Knutter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knutter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Knutter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knutter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Knutter (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 Knutter mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a German occupational term related to weaving or knitting. 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 Knutter (0.04 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 are called Knutter?
If you just want to know how common the surname Knutter is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.