2000
#16,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,610
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Knoblauch
A German surname derived from the words "Knob" meaning garlic and "Lauch" meaning leek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,844 Americans carry the last name Knoblauch. That puts it at #17,226 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 185,875 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knoblauch 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
1.8K
1 in 185,875
Census rank
#17,226
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,608 bearers of the surname Knoblauch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17226th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knoblauch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knoblauch
The surname Knoblauch is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "knobelouch" which means garlic. This name likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who grew or sold garlic.
The name Knoblauch can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, given to individuals involved in the cultivation, trade, or preparation of garlic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Knoblauch is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a person named "Knoblouch" in 1351.
In the 15th century, the name Knoblauch appeared in the Stadtbuch (city book) of Breslau, which was a register of citizens and property owners in the city. This record includes entries for individuals with the surname Knoblauch, indicating their presence in the region during that time period.
A notable figure with the surname Knoblauch was Johann Knoblauch (1518-1601), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. He was a contemporary of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another historical figure bearing this surname was Christian Knoblauch (1676-1753), a German composer and organist who is known for his contributions to the development of keyboard music during the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, Johann Knoblauch (1808-1865) was a German novelist and playwright, who wrote popular works such as "Die Spieler" (The Gamblers) and "Die Schwaben" (The Swabians).
The surname Knoblauch has also been associated with various places and locations in Germany. For instance, Knoblauchhausen is a village in the district of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, which likely derived its name from the surname.
While the name Knoblauch is predominantly found in Germany, it has also been carried by individuals from other parts of Europe and beyond, as a result of migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knoblauch
Among Census respondents with the surname Knoblauch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Knoblauch 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 Knoblauch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,495
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 51
- Two or more races3.1% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 8
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knoblauch
Knoblauch 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
#17,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,670
+60 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 564 places
2020
#17,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,608
-62 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 212 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,450 | 1,610 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,014 | 1,670 | 0.57 | +60 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 564 places |
| 2020 | #17,226 | 1,608 | 0.54 | -62 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 212 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 Knoblauch 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 | #17,014 | #17,226 | -1.2% |
| Count | 1,670 | 1,608 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.54 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knoblauch bearers went from 1,670 to 1,608 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 212 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,014 to #17,226.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Knoblauch
FAQ
Knoblauch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knoblauch?
Name Census estimates that about 1,844 living Americans carry the surname Knoblauch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 185,875 residents.
How common is Knoblauch?
Knoblauch ranks #17,226 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 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 1,608 people with the surname Knoblauch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,844), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 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 Knoblauch.
Has Knoblauch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knoblauch went from 1,670 recorded bearers to 1,608. That is a decrease of 62 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,014 to #17,226.
What does the Census say about the background of Knoblauch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knoblauch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Knoblauch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,495 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knoblauch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Knoblauch (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 Knoblauch mean?
A German surname derived from the words "Knob" meaning garlic and "Lauch" meaning leek. 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 Knoblauch (0.54 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 last name Knoblauch?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Knoblauch is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.