LZT1005528: Knickerbocker Days. Knickerbocker, Also Spelled Knikkerbakker, Knickerbakker, Knickerbacker, is a 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". It Was Also a Term for Manhattan's Aristocracy "in the Early Days". USA, American School, (19th century) / Bridgeman Images