Explore the Family Name Knaus
The meaning of Knaus
1. German: from Middle High German knūʒ ‘proud, arrogant, daring’, hence a nickname for a haughty person. 2. German: in Württemberg a nickname for a short, fat, gnarled person, from knaus ‘gnarl’. 3. German: topographic name for someone living on a hillock, from knaus ‘hillock’ in the Swabian and Alemannic dialects of German. 4. Slovenian: of German origin (see 1 above). In North America, this surname is also an altered form of the variant Knavs. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Bernhard, Heimo, Rainer, Wolfgang.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Knaus in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Knaus showed a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 14,134 in popularity with 1,953 individuals carrying the name. By 2010, despite an increase to 2,047 individuals, its rank fell slightly to 14,558, representing a 3.0% decrease in popularity. However, the proportion of people named Knaus per 100,000 also decreased by 4.17% during this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,134 | #14,558 | -3% |
| Count | 1,953 | 2,047 | 4.81% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.72 | 0.69 | -4.17% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Knaus
Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Knaus, data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates some changes between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the vast majority (95.6%) of those with the Knaus surname identified as White, which slightly declined to 94.33% by 2010. Over that same decade, there were increases among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (0.92% to 0.98%), those reporting two or more races (1.28% to 1.76%), Hispanic (1.28% to 1.66%), as well as introductions under the categories of Black (0.49%) and American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.78%). It's important to note that any data marked with "(S)" has been suppressed to protect individual privacy.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.6% | 94.33% | -1.33% |
| Two or More Races | 1.28% | 1.76% | 37.5% |
| Hispanic | 1.28% | 1.66% | 29.69% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.92% | 0.98% | 6.52% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.78% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0.49% | 0% |