Knittel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The ancient and distinguished German surname Knittel is derived from the Middle High German "knüttel," meaning "short, thick cudgel." Accordingly, Knittel is an occupational name or a trade name for someone who made clubs for war.

Early Origins of the Knittel family

The surname Knittel was first found in the northern part of Swabia, where it is thought to have originated. The nickname origins of the name make it likely that several different branches of the Knittel family emerged independently during the Middle Ages. The young Knittel family played an important role in the early history of the region, and contributed greatly to the development of medieval Swabian society.

Early History of the Knittel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Knittel research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1231, 1240, 1378, 1612, 1630, 1655, 1658, 1672 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Knittel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Knittel Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Knuttel, Knüttel, Knuettel, Knutel, Knittel, Knettel and many more.

Early Notables of the Knittel family

Prominent among members of the name Knittel in this period include

Engelbert von Knüttel (c.1630-1658), an organ builder, Christian Knittel (1612-1672), a goldsmith, Balthasar Knittel (c.1713), a German sculptor

Knittel migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Knittel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Knittel, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1753 1

Knittel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hermann Knittel, aged 20, who landed in New York, NY in 1860 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Knittel (post 1700) +

Eric Knittel (b. 1983), German rower
Bastian Knittel (b. 1983), German tennis player
Franz Anton Knittel (1721-1792), German, Lutheran orthodox theologian, priest, and palaeographer
Gustav Knittel (1914-1976), German SS-Sturmbannführer (Major) in the 1st SS Division Leibstandarte
Emil Knittel, German fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe, during World War II, credited with 50 aerial victories
Krzysztof Knittel (b. 1947), Polish composer of symphonic, chamber, stage and electroacoustic works
Herman Emanuel "John" Knittel (1891-1970), Swiss prominent author

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)