Show ContentsKnorre History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Knorre is a name that originated in Thuringia, which is located between Hessen and Lower Saxony in the west and Saxony in the east. By and large, hereditary surname were formed in Germany when areas of Thuringia, and most of the German states, were a part of the Holy Roman Empire. At this time, as the population of Europe swelled and travel became easier, people began to encounter others sharing their own name and they avoided confusion by adopting a second name. A common form of surname found in Thuringia are those that are derived from nicknames. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Knorre was a name for a hunchback. The distinguished name Knorre is derived from the German word "knorre," which means "lump" or "outgrowth."

Early Origins of the Knorre family

The surname Knorre was first found in Thuringia, where the name could be considered to have made a great contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of modern Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the local and national conflicts in which groups sought power and status in an ever changing territorial profile.

Early History of the Knorre family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Knorre research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1535, 1600, 1636, 1681, 1689, 1726, 1728, 1803, 1830, 1853, 1859, 1888, 1889, 1916 and 1921 are included under the topic Early Knorre History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Knorre Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Knor, Knorre, Knore, Knoarr, Knoare and others.

Early Notables of the Knorre family

Notable members of the surname Knorre in this period were Christian Knorr von Rosenroth (1636-1689), an alchemist who wrote religious poems, one of which is still well known today. Iwan Knorr (1853-1916)...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Knorre Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Knorre migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Knorre Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Heinr Knorre, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1800 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Knorre (post 1700) +

  • Viktor Knorre (1840-1919), Russian astronomer who discovered Koronis and three other minor planets
  • Dmitrii Knorre (b. 1926), Russian chemist and biochemist

Bismarck
  • Franz Knorre (1920-1941), German Maschinengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 2


  1. 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)
  2. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details


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