Knorr
A German surname likely from a nickname for someone stout, knotty, or rough in manner or build.
The #7,665 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,254 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Knorr is generally treated as a German nickname surname. It is usually linked to the German word knorr, which can suggest something gnarled, knotty, or rugged, and by extension a person with a sturdy or rough appearance or temperament. The name may also connect more loosely with older Germanic forms used for compactness or hardness, which is why older writers sometimes grouped it with other short German nicknames.
History
The surname is well attested in German-speaking areas and later spread through migration to North America and elsewhere. Older etymological works often cross-reference Knorr with similar short German names, but they do not give a single universally accepted explanation. In modern usage it is found both as a surname and, less commonly, in compound place or family names.
Origin
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Fun fact
The name is short, but it has long attracted attention from surname scholars because its hard consonants seem to match the “rough” or “knotted” sense many of them proposed.
From the historical record
“Kortr, n.n. (Karta) Knorr Kdrmakr (Gaelic) Kottr, n.n. (a cat) KaSall (Gaelic) KaSlin (f., Gaelic)”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)