Knecht
A German surname meaning “servant” or “manservant,” from a medieval word for a household or retainer role.
The #6,267 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 56,630 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Knecht comes from German knecht, a word that originally meant a servant, attendant, or hired man. It is cognate with English knight, because both go back to an older Germanic word that could mean a young man or attendant before the English form rose in status. In surname use, it most likely began as a job-name or status name for someone who served in a household, estate, or lord’s retinue.
History
The surname is well established in German-speaking areas and also appears in Dutch forms such as Knegt. In older surname writing, scholars often contrasted its humbler meaning with English knight, which developed in a more elevated direction. Related compounds such as Gutknecht also show how the word was used in bynames and surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is a close linguistic cousin of English Knight, even though the modern meanings ended up very different.
From the historical record
“q.v: "Knecht Ruprecht" or "Rupert" is a children's bugbear in Germany. RuloOE } (Scand.) for Rosooe, q.v. (Celt.) app. a var. of Rusky, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)