>>_Kniesche, Knieschke, Niese, Knesch, Knesche,
>>Kneschke, Knösche_.
correction: "Niese" should be read Kniese.
###
OTOH, googling some of the German-spelled Knisches:
- Knisch: 22,000 results
- Knische: 3,740 "
- Knischke: 1,150 "
- Kniesch: 61,400 "
- Kniesche: 103,000 "
- Knieschke: 7,940 "
- Knüsch: 144 "
- Knüschke: 7 "
- Knösche: 21,300 "
- Knöschke: 33,900 "
- Kneschke: 803,000 "
- Kniezsa: 3,930 " (this is the Hungarian spelling for the
Slavic name Kniea; an István Kniezsa was a linguist, slavist,
and historian) (NB: the Hungarian 2nd name meaning "knyaz/knez"
is Kenéz)
All these onomastic variants have Slavic roots (or only one
root: knyaz), adapted by German-speaking people... who did not
know that knyaz is a Slavic adaptation of *kuningaz, which
has been in German Kuning, Köning & König, all three 2nd
names, of which König is the most frequent:
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/relativ/k%25C3%25B6nig.html
###
Spreading in Germany (per county), inter alia:
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/absolut/knisch.html
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/absolut/kniesch.html
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/absolut/knische.html
Knysch: only in Western Germany:
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/absolut/knysch.html
- the following esp. in Eastern Germany:
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/absolut/kniesche.html
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/absolut/kn%25C3%25B6sch.html
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/absolut/knieschke.html
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/absolut/kneschke.html
###
Kniess: 148,000 results
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/relativ/kniess.html
Knüss: 330 "
(I assume, these belong to the knûs group.)
###
Kneissl: 907,000 results (Google)
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/relativ/kneissl.html
Gneissl: 35,700 "
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/relativ/gneissl.html
(<Gneiss: over 1.4 million because of the geology term>)
Kniessl: 6,560 "
Knauss: 1,470,000 "
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/relativ/knauss.html
Gnass: 278,000 results (Google)
http://www.verwandt.de/karten/relativ/gna%25C3%259F.html
George