Surname Knežević in modern Croatia

Knežević families are often Croats and they are mostly from Zadra area (Vinjerac, Knezevici) and according to some sources from Lika (near Ogulin) or Herzegovina, less frequently Serbs and Montenegrins (from Pljevlja, Montenegro ). In the past century, relatively most of Croatian residents bearing this family name were born in Zagreb and Zadar. In Vinjerac in Zadar area every second inhabitant had the family name Knežević.

Prevalence

About 9800 people with faimily name Knežević live in Croatia today, in 4200 households. There were 7300 of them in the middle of the past century, and their number increased by 30 percent.
They are located in all Croatian counties, in 113 cities and 734 other places, mostly in Zagreb (1570), Zadar (510), Rijeka (465), Osijek (285), and in Slavonski Brod (235).

Outside Croatia

At least 138 families with this surname emigrated from Croatia to: Germany (48), Australia (18), Switzerland (17), Austria (16), the United States (13), France (6), Canada (6), the United Kingdom (5), Spain (5), the Netherlands (1), Chile (1), Sweden (1), and to Mexico (1).
Family name Knežević (including: Knezevic , Knezevich and Knezhevic ) is present in 19 countries worldwide. The family name "Knezevic " is used by some 800 people in the United States , about 700 in Germany , and some 200 people in Canada. "Knezevich " is used by some 800 people in the United States , about 100 in Ecuador , and some 60 people in Canada.

Characteristic first names

Krešimir Knežević, Ana Knežević, Željka Knežević, Jasminka Knežević, Mandica Knežević, Jelena Knežević, Grozdan Knežević, Petar Knežević, Ruben Knežević, Božana Knežević, Đurđica Knežević, Goran Knežević, Suzana Knežević, Marin Knežević, Siniša Knežević, Damir Knežević, Jasna Knežević, Mladen Knežević, Rajko Knežević

Mentions in sources

In the sources analysed in the project Acta Croatica so far, the name is mentioned over a hundred times, the first time 1725 in source Catholic Church Parish Records.

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