Knickerbocker, also spelled Knikkerbakker, Knikkerbacker, and Knickerbacker, is a Dutch surname that dates back to the early settlers of New Netherland that was popularized by Washington Irving in 1809 when he published his satirical A History of New York under the pseudonym "Diedrich Knickerbocker". The name was also a term for Manhattan's aristocracy "in the early days" (at Wikisource: How the Other Half Lives – Chapter I) and became a general term, now obsolete, for a New Yorker. The term is also used to refer to the Anglo-Dutch "old line" families of New York City, as opposed to New England "Yankee" interlopers and other newcomers.
Notable people with the surname Austin Knickerbocker (1918–1997), American professional baseball player Bill Knickerbocker (1911–1963), American professional baseball player Brianna Knickerbocker (born 1982), American voice actress David Buel Knickerbacker (1833–1894), 3rd Protestant Episcopal bishop of the diocese of Indiana Harmen Jansen Knickerbocker (c. 1650–c. 1720), Dutch colonist in New Netherland (New York) Herman Knickerbocker (1779–1855), American politician Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker (1898–1949), American writer and journalist I. B. Knickerbocker (1864–1954) American politician Jerry Knickerbocker (born 1943), American politician
Pen name Cholly Knickerbocker, used by a series of society columnists writing for the New York American and the New York Journal-American Suzy Knickerbocker, columnist Aileen Mehle
Fictional characters Diedrich Knickerbocker, a character created by Washington Irving
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