NOTT
The surname Nott is of English origin and is recorded throughout the British Isles, most frequently within England itself. It derives from a range of Old English and Middle English words, and the exact meaning can differ according to the locality and the period in which the name first appeared.
One possibility is that Nott originates from the old-english word not, meaning “bold” or “courageous”. In this sense the name may have been a nickname for a person who displayed such qualities. A second explanation connects the surname to the old-english word hnutu, translating as “nut”. This could have referred either to a small or stout individual, or to someone industrious as a nut-bearing tree. A third derivation is linked to the word cnotta, meaning “knot” or “swelling”; the resulting nickname would describe a thickset or rotund person. Finally, the name may have Scandinavian influence, the personal name Knutr being recorded in England during the reign of the Danish king Cnut, and surviving the Norman invasion of 1066.
Historical documentary evidence shows the surname appearing in several spellings, including Knott, Note, Nuth, and the diminutive Nottle. Early instances include Walter Cnot of Suffolk in the pipe rolls of 1165, Robert Cnot in the 1185 Roll of Knights as a Knight Templar, William Cnotte recorded in the 1206 Curia Regis rolls in Yorkshire, John Knotte appearing as a witness on the 1221 Warwick Assize court, and Hugo Knout noted in the 1301 Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire. In the seventeenth century, Abraham Knott, commander of the ketch “Joseph of London”, is listed among early colonists to New York in 1679.
In contemporary times the surname is uncommon but remains in use. According to the 2000 United States Census it was the 12,912th most frequent surname, with a prevalence of 0.001%. In England and Wales it ranked 3,731st in 2019. The name is also found in Canada, Australia and other English-speaking countries, a distribution that reflects historical migration from the United Kingdom.
Geographic suffixes have given rise to related place names, such as Knott End in Lancashire, which is thought to contain the same root meaning a hill or projecting rock from the middle-english word knot. The diversity of meanings tied to Nott demonstrates how surnames that began as gentle descriptors or nicknames evolved over time, spreading through various spellings and cultural influences within the Anglo‑Saxon and post‑Norman periods.
Typical given names associated with the Nott surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Matthew
- Michael
- Peter
- Philip
- Richard
- Stephen
Female
- Catherine
- Deborah
- Elizabeth
- Jacqueline
- Janet
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Linda
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Rachel
- Sue
- 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 Nott in...
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There are approximately 2,539 people named Nott in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,469th most common surname in Britain. Around 39 in a million people in Britain are named Nott.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Nott
- John Nott - Politician
- Julian Nott - Composer
- Jonathan Nott - Conductor
- George Nott - Rugby union player
- William Nott - General (1782 to 1845)
- Arthur Nott - Cricketer (1881 to 1959)
- Peter Nott - Bishop of Norwich; Bishop of Taunton (1933 to 2018)
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.