Surname Knaup - Meaning and Origin
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Knaup: What does the surname Knaup mean?
The last name Knaup is derived from the Middle High German word "knop" or "knaupe", which means a small lump or knoll. The surname could have referred to someone who lived near a knoll or hill, or it could have been an occupational name for someone involved in activities involving small lumps or knolls, such as a miner, lumberjack, or miner. The surname could also have been given to someone who worked with locks or knobs, such as a locksmith.
The surname Knaup could also be derived from a place name as there are several villages in Germany with the name Knaupe.
The name Knaup is relatively uncommon but is still found in Germany, especially in the areas around Frankfurt and Osnabrück. In the United States, the name is mostly found in the Midwest, including Ohio, Iowa, and Wisconsin. The name is rarely found outside of these two regions.
The Knaup surname has been in existence since at least the 16th century. It is likely that the name was adopted by people who uprooted themselves from their original German village. As they spread throughout Europe, the name was spread as well. Today, the Knaup surname is still carried by many families all over the world.
Order DNA origin analysisKnaup: Where does the name Knaup come from?
The last name Knaup is commonly found in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is estimated that there are over 12,000 individuals who bear the name. In some areas, the name is also spelled Knaub, Knoup, Knauf, or Knaus.
In Germany, the name Knaup is relatively concentrated in Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In Austria, the name is more distributed across the country, but is particularly common in the Vorarlberg and Tyrol regions. In Switzerland, the name is found in the cantons of Schwyz, St. Gallen, and Basel-Stadt.
The origins of the name are disputed, with some suggesting it is derived from the German word for "knapsack" while others believe it is a topographic name referring to someone who lived near a knoll or hill. There is also evidence that suggests variations of the name may be a habitation name taken from a place name.
Regardless of its origin, the surname Knaup is found in areas with a history of Germanic influence, showing that its early origins lie within a German-speaking population. It is likely that the name will remain popular in these areas for many years to come.
Variations of the surname Knaup
The surname Knaup has many variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. These include Knauff, Knauffe, Knoff, Knofe, Knaue, Knau, Knauer, Knapp, and Knapheide.
Knaup is typically of German origin, and the original spelling was Knauff. The Knauff spelling was common during the Middle Ages, but the surname became more popular in its spellings as Knaup and Knauff with the advent of printing and the recording of surnames.
The Knaup spelling first appeared in the late 1500s. This spelling has mainly been found in the western regions of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. The spelling Knofe has also been recorded in this region since the 1600s.
The surname Knapheide is an anglicised version of the German surname Knaup. The surname Knauf is an Anglicised version of the German spelling Knauff. Knapheide was adopted as a variant of the original German form of the name in some area of England and Scotland in the 1700s.
There are also variant spellings such as Knauer, Knoff, and Knaue that are derived from the original Knauff or Knaup spelling. These spellings are also found mainly in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
The surname Knaup is generally a house and farm name derived from the old German word ‘knup’, which means ‘lump’ or ‘ball’. This indicates that the original bearer of the surname was likely a landowner or farmer.
Famous people with the name Knaup
- Stephen Knaup: Former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Amazon.
- Daniel Knaup: Award-winning German actor.
- Alexander Knaup: Australian professional soccer player.
- Till Knaup: German entrepreneur and investor.
- Alexander Knaup: German Paralympic sailor.
- Thomas Knaup: German actor.
- Philipp Knaup: Former engineer at Microsoft.
- David E. Knaup: Harvard professor and author.
- Ylva Knaup: German political activist.
- Christina Knaup: German photographer.
- Johannes Knaup: German classical music composer.
- Ursula Knaup: German CEO and businesswoman.
- Paul Knaup: German doctor and professor.
- Anton Knaup: Austrian figure skater.
- Marcel Knaup: German musician.
- Andreas Knaup: German bioinformatician.
- Hans Knaup: German screenwriter.
- Bernhard Knaup: German artist and architect.
- Christoph Knaup: German comedian.
- Melissa Knaup: American jewelry designer.