2000
#10,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,655
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Knipp
Derived from the Middle High German word "knippe," referring to a hilltop or peak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,204 Americans carry the last name Knipp. That puts it at #10,894 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,977 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knipp 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
3.2K
1 in 106,977
Census rank
#10,894
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,794 bearers of the surname Knipp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10894th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knipp
The surname Knipp is of German origin, originating in the northern regions of the country during the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "knippen," meaning "to pinch" or "to nip," which may have referred to a person's occupation or physical characteristic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Knipp can be found in the parish records of the town of Trier, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany, dating back to 1586. The name was spelled as "Knypp" in these records.
In the 17th century, the Knipp surname appeared in various historical documents across Germany. For instance, Johann Knipp, a prominent merchant from Cologne, was mentioned in trade records from 1612. Additionally, a document from 1642 references a farmer named Hans Knipp from the village of Niederweiler in the Rhineland-Palatinate region.
As the name spread across Germany, it also underwent slight variations in spelling, such as "Knip" and "Knipp." In the 18th century, the Knipp surname was found in various regions, including Bavaria and Saxony.
One notable individual with the Knipp surname was Johann Christoph Knipp (1678-1742), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg. He was renowned for his compositions for the organ and harpsichord.
Another significant figure was Gottfried Knipp (1838-1904), a German author and journalist who wrote extensively about the culture and history of the Rhineland region. He was born in the town of Bonn and published several books, including "Rheinische Sagen und Legenden" (Rhenish Legends and Tales).
In the 19th century, the Knipp surname also spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Belgium, where it was sometimes spelled as "Knip" or "Knipps."
One notable Dutch individual with the Knipp surname was Dirk Knipscheer (1823-1900), a pioneer in the field of photography who is credited with developing one of the earliest photographic techniques known as the "calotype" process.
As the Knipp surname traveled across the Atlantic Ocean, it gained a foothold in the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in North America dates back to the late 18th century, when a German immigrant named Johann Knipp settled in Pennsylvania.
Throughout history, the Knipp surname has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from merchants and farmers to artists and intellectuals. While its origins can be traced back to northern Germany, the name has spread across the globe, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knipp
Among Census respondents with the surname Knipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Knipp 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 Knipp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,585
- Two or more races3.3% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knipp
Knipp 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
#11,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,709
+54 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 602 places
2020
#10,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,794
+85 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 698 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,990 | 2,655 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,592 | 2,709 | 0.92 | +54 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 602 places |
| 2020 | #10,894 | 2,794 | 0.93 | +85 bearers (+3.1%) | Up 698 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 Knipp 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 | #11,592 | #10,894 | 6.0% |
| Count | 2,709 | 2,794 | 3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.93 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knipp bearers went from 2,709 to 2,794 (+3.1% change). The surname moved up 698 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,592 to #10,894.
FAQ
Knipp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knipp?
Name Census estimates that about 3,204 living Americans carry the surname Knipp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,977 residents.
How common is Knipp?
Knipp ranks #10,894 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,794 people with the surname Knipp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,204), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Knipp.
Has Knipp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knipp went from 2,709 recorded bearers to 2,794. That is an increase of 85 (+3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,592 to #10,894.
What does the Census say about the background of Knipp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knipp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (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 Knipp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,585 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knipp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (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 Knipp (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 Knipp mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "knippe," referring to a hilltop or peak. 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 Knipp (0.93 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 Americans have the surname Knipp?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.