The Knudsen surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,104 people carried this name — #3,898 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 32,400 people counted. That is up 3% from 8,877 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Knudsen surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

Originally a patronymic from Knud + -sen.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Knudsen» (Danish), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 263 people named Knudsen live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 176
City of Buenos Aires 23
Salta 16
Santa Fe 15
Santa Cruz 12
Chubut 11
La Pampa 10

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

31 people named Knudsen live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 11
Vaud 9
Valais 7
Geneva 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 22 people named Knudsen.

Most of them — 15 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Hauts-de-Seine.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 15
Hauts-de-Seine 2
Allier 1
Alpes-Maritimes 1
Creuse 1
Indre-et-Loire 1
Seine-Maritime 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

6,492 people named Knudsen are counted in Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Norway (2025) 5,799
Sweden (2022) 666
Finland (2026) 27

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0 · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Knudsen in American newspapers,
1910–1919.

Newspaper page from Turner County Herald carrying the name Knudsen
Turner County Herald 1910-03-10
Newspaper page from Turner County Herald carrying the name Knudsen
Turner County Herald 1910-03-17
Newspaper page from The Chickasha Daily Express carrying the name Knudsen
The Chickasha Daily Express 1919-07-28

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 26,598 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Knudsen in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1990s.

4,958 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Knudsen. The most, 2,163, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 2,572
New South Wales 1,234
Victoria 358
South Australia 272
Western Australia 237
Tasmania 209
ACT (Canberra) 61
Northern Territory 5

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Knudsen.

Who carried it

People named Knudsen,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Christian Knudsen
    Christian Knudsen 1752–1813 · judge
  • Hans Christian Knudsen
    Hans Christian Knudsen 1763–1816 · actor
  • Peter Knudsen
    Peter Knudsen 1793–1865 · diplomat
  • Egon Knudsen d. 1994 · association football coach
  • Thomas Knudsen Hygom 1503–1581 · priest
  • Otte Knudsen Seeblad 1575–1631 · merchant

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Knudsen,
in the records of 10 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,992 records

1,992 records of the Knudsen name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 656
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 575
  • Other U.S. records 761
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Julius S. J. Knudsen

    Born 1916 in Minnesota. Enlisted 1941 at Los Angeles, California; driver. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1942, buried at Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery, Little Falls, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Marie Knudsen

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Graf Waldersee from Plymouth, aged 20; servant. From Harrens, Denmark.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Henry Knudsen

    Born 1945; from Chicago, Illinois. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,992 records for Knudsen in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia185 records

185 records of the Knudsen name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 125
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 48
  • Other Australian records 12
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Christian Knudsen

    Arrived in Victoria in 1889 aboard the Habsburg, aged 46; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Marguerite Marie Knudsen

    Retired of Box Hill, Victoria; died 1996.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Sigwart Martin Leopold Knudsen

    Of Petersham, New South Wales; died 1932.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 185 records for Knudsen in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany146 records

146 records of the Knudsen name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Christian Knudsen

    Born 1886; from Ravik, Spemath. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 27 December 1918 (Infantry Regiment No. 27).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hansen Knudsen

    Born 1896; from Hadersleben. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 3 January 1917; then reported taken prisoner in the list of 19 October 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Georg Knudsen

    From Ravid, Apenrade. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 14 July 1915 (Foot Guards Regiment No. 1).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 146 records for Knudsen in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands142 records

142 records of the Knudsen name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 75
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 67
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anna Knudsen

    Married in 1921 in Rotterdam. Died 1936 in Rotterdam, aged 85.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Geertruida Knudsen

    Born 1857 in Rotterdam. Married in 1889 in 's-Gravenhage; seamstress. Died 1927 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 70.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Geertruida Aletta Angenita Knudsen

    Born 1860 in Rotterdam. Married in 1882 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 142 records for Knudsen in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Norway32 records

32 records of the Knudsen name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Agnis Knudsen

    Census of 1910: Skaaregate, Haugesund; factory worker, born 1890 in Haugesund.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Anna Karoline Knudsen

    Census of 1910: Markveien, Kristiania; factory worker, born 1868 in Modum.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record John Knudsen

    Census of 1910: Mjogdalen, Ringebu; born 1880 in Øier.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 32 records for Knudsen in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada27 records

27 records of the Knudsen name in Canada
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 9
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 7
  • Other Canadian records 11
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Rosina Knudsen

    Buried in 1976 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 87.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ann Knudsen

    Died 1951; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Olaf Ludwig Knudsen

    Died 1946; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 3 of 27 records for Knudsen in Canada.

Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand9 records

9 records of the Knudsen name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Andrew Knudsen

    Died 1971, aged 74; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Edwin Knudsen

    Died 1953, aged 78; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 9 records for Knudsen in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France8 records

8 records of the Knudsen name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jonny Anna Marie Knudsen

    Born 1913 in Denmark; died 1995 in Llauro (Pyrénées-Orientales).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Annie Jeanne Carmen Knudsen

    Born 1908 in Saint-Cloud (Hauts-de-Seine); died 2001 in Croissy-sur-Seine (Yvelines).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Knudsen in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Knudsen name in Belgium Belgian population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Paul Auguste Clement Knudsen

    In the population register of Aalst; born 1866 in Anvers.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Aalst (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Finland1 record

1 record of the Knudsen name in Finland Finland's war dead, 1939–1945
  1. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Nils Erik Valdemar Knudsen

    Born 1905 in Asikkala. Died in 1940 during Finland's wars of 1939–1945; buried in Savonlinna.

    Kansallisarkisto, via WarSampo (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Kansallisarkisto, via WarSampo (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Knudsen.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Knudsen is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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