KNELLER
The surname Kneller is a name of Germanic origin, derived from the Middle High German word knelle which denotes a bell or the sound of a bell. As an occupational surname it was typically given to individuals who worked as bell‑ringers, bell‑makers or otherwise were associated with the ringing of bells.
In England the name arrived in a number of forms, for example Knellar, Kneller, Naylor, Nealler, Nellar and Neller. Early records in Sussex and Kent show that the agent suffix -er was used not only to denote a worker but also to indicate a dweller at a particular place. This is evident in the topographic surname Kneller, which may have identified a person living near a small hill or knoll, from the Old English cnylle (a pre‑7th‑century word for a knoll). A similar pattern is seen in surnames such as Brooker and Bridger, which are also primitive to the same counties.
Another possible etymology is an occupational one stemming from the Old English nagel, meaning a nail. The suffix -er would then produce a name for a nail‑maker. The earliest known legal record of the surname is that of William Kneller, appearing in the 1327 Subsidy Tax rolls of Sussex during the reign of King Edward III, a period when surnames were becoming fixed in English society.
Church registers from the 17th century also contain the spelling Neller; an example is the baptism of John Neller, son of Edward Neller, on 28 October 1655 at Eastbourne in Sussex. These documents indicate that the name, in one form or another, has been well established in the south‑eastern part of England for many centuries.
Across continental Europe the name and its variants are less common but still observable. In German‑speaking countries the surname appears as Knöller, Knoller, or Knöllerheuser, and in the Netherlands it is sometimes recorded as Knel or Knöll. The name remains uncommon overall, yet it can still be found in genealogical registers in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of the United Kingdom.
In modern times the surname Kneller continues to be borne by individuals in both Britain and Germany, and it is occasionally encountered as a first name or as part of a hyphenated surname in North America, particularly in the United States. Variants such as Knoller, Knoeller, and Kneeler are often considered related, though each spelling may have developed independently in different locales.
Thus, the surname Kneller serves as an example of how occupational and topographic influences, combined with regional spelling practices, have shaped the development of family names over the centuries. Its enduring presence in records affirms its historical significance within the genealogical study of both the British Isles and Germanic Europe.
Typical given names associated with the Kneller surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Keith
- Lee
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Anne
- Christine
- Claire
- Emma
- Janet
- Jean
- Kathryn
- Laura
- Louise
- Maria
- Sarah
- Susan
- Suzanne
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Kneller in...
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There are approximately 914 people named Kneller in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,906th most common surname in Britain. Around 14 in a million people in Britain are named Kneller.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Kneller
- Arthur Kneller - Cricketer (1894 to 1969)
- John Kneller - -American academic administrator (1916 to 2009)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.