2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Knutz
A surname derived from the German word "Knütz" meaning knot or bundle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Knutz. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knutz 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Knutz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knutz
The surname Knutz originated in the region of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German name Knutzo, which means "bold warrior" or "brave fighter." The name likely evolved from personal monikers given to courageous soldiers and knights.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Knutz dates back to 1263, when a nobleman named Heinrich Knutz was mentioned in a deed from the town of Dessau. This document detailed a land transfer between Heinrich and a local monastery. In the 14th century, there are records of a family named Knutz residing in the village of Köthen, which was part of the Principality of Anhalt.
During the Renaissance period, the Knutz name appeared in various municipal records and chronicles across Saxony-Anhalt. In 1492, a merchant named Caspar Knutz was registered as a member of the merchant guild in the city of Halle. Another notable figure was Jürgen Knutz, a master brewer who lived in the town of Zerbst in the early 16th century.
The Knutz surname can also be found in historical documents from neighboring regions, such as Lower Saxony and Thuringia. In the 17th century, a Lutheran pastor named Johann Knutz served in the town of Mühlhausen, which was then part of the Electorate of Saxony. His son, Andreas Knutz, followed in his footsteps and became a renowned theologian and author, publishing several works on Protestant theology between 1650 and 1680.
In the 18th century, a military officer named Friedrich Wilhelm Knutz served in the Prussian Army during the reign of Frederick the Great. He was born in 1734 and rose to the rank of Major-General before his death in 1801. Another notable figure from this period was the composer and musician Carl Knutz, who lived from 1767 to 1835 and worked as a court musician in the city of Weimar.
As the Knutz name spread beyond Saxony-Anhalt, it evolved into various spellings, such as Knütz, Knutze, and Knuetz. These variations can be found in historical records from different regions across Germany and neighboring countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knutz
Among Census respondents with the surname Knutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Knutz 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 Knutz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knutz
Knutz 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,136 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 17,136 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 2,174 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 Knutz 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 | #149,395 | #147,221 | 1.5% |
| Count | 110 | 113 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knutz bearers went from 110 to 113 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 2,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #147,221.
FAQ
Knutz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knutz?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Knutz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Knutz?
Knutz ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Knutz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Knutz.
Has Knutz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knutz went from 110 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Knutz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%). 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 Knutz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knutz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (6.2%). 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 Knutz (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 Knutz mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Knütz" meaning knot or bundle. 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 Knutz (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 have the surname Knutz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.