KNOWLES
The surname Knowles is established as of English origin, deriving from the Old English word cnoll, which signified a small hill or knoll. As a topographic name it was employed to identify individuals who dwelt near or upon such elevated features within the English landscape.
Topographic surnames were among the earliest forms of family identification, being formed from natural or man-made characteristics that presented obvious and convenient distinguishing markers to the small communities of the Middle Ages. The word cnoll was still in use before the seventh century, while its Middle English form, knol, retained the same meaning. Thus, a person bearing the surname Knowles or one of its orthographic variants would historically have been recognisable as someone residing on or near a hilltop.
Another plausible origin is that the surname arose as a nickname derived from the personal name Cnoll. In early records the name appears to have been applied in a transferred sense to describe a short, stout individual, thereby providing an alternative basis for the surname’s first use.
Variations of the surname were recorded as early as the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. For example, Robert de la Cnolle of Devonshire was documented in 1185, Thomas Knolle of Cambridgeshire in 1279, and William atte Knowle of Sussex in 1296. These entries illustrate how the spelling evolved over time while the name’s locational or descriptive significance remained intact.
The earliest firmly dated instance of the spelling that is recognisable as belonging to the modern family name is Christopher Knolles in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York of 1407, during the reign of Henry the Fourth, known to historians as Henry of Bolingbroke. An early heraldic device associated with the family displays a blue field charged with a hawk seizing a partridge, and a chief bearing three blue birds.
With the expansion of the British Empire individuals bearing the surname migrated beyond the isle. One well documented emigrant is Henry Knowles, who departed London aboard the ship Susan and Ellin in April 1635, bound for the Virginia colony. His departure reflects the broader pattern of English surnames becoming established across the Atlantic world during the seventeenth century.
In contemporary times the surname Knowles can be found worldwide, with a concentration in English‑speaking countries. Its persistence as a common surname across the globe attests to both its early roots in the English lexicon and its adaptability through centuries of social and geographic change.
Typical given names associated with the Knowles surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Janet
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
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 Knowles in...
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There are approximately 26,491 people named Knowles in the UK. That makes it the 304th most common surname in Britain. Around 407 in a million people in Britain are named Knowles.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Knowles
- Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter - American singer, songwriter and actress
- Nick Knowles - Television presenter
- Solange Knowles - American musician
- Patric Knowles - Actor, novelist (1911 to 1995)
- Cyril Knowles - Football player and manager (1944 to 1991)
- Davy Knowles - Manx blues guitarist and singer
- Eric Knowles - Antique ceramics expert
- Peter Knowles - Football player
- Jo-Anne Knowles - Actress
- David Knowles - Benedictine monk and historian (1896 to 1974)
- Tony Knowles - Snooker player
- Jeremy R. Knowles - Chemist (1935 to 2008)
- Michael Knowles - Politician
- Bernard Knowles - Film director, producer, cinematographer and screenwriter (1900 to 1975)
- Samuel Knowles - Singer
- Dominic Knowles - Football player
- June Knowles - Writer (1923 to 2012)
- Peter Knowles - Badminton player
- Morgan Knowles -
- Matilda Cullen Knowles - Irish botanist (1864 to 1933)
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.