2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Knot
A surname derived from the word "knot," potentially referring to someone with a skill in knot-tying or a related occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Knot. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knot surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Knot with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Knot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knot, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knot
The surname Knot originated in England, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cnotta," which means "a knot" or "a knotted cord." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to those who worked with ropes, cords, or knots, such as sailors, fishermen, or rope-makers.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there are references to individuals with the surname Knot, including William Knot and Robert Knot. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also mention a John Knot. These early records indicate that the name was established in various parts of England by the 14th century.
The Knot surname is found in various place names throughout England, such as Knottingley in West Yorkshire, which was originally recorded as "Cnotingeleia" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This further suggests the ancient roots of the name and its connection to knots or knotted cords.
One notable individual with the surname Knot was Edward Knott (1582-1655), an English Jesuit priest and controversialist. He was known for his writings defending the Catholic faith during the English Reformation.
Another prominent figure was Robert Knott (1599-1679), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for St Germans in Cornwall during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, John Knott (1736-1811) was a respected English surgeon and medical writer. He served as the President of the Royal College of Surgeons in London and published several works on surgical techniques.
Sir James Knott (1858-1931) was a notable British engineer and industrialist. He played a significant role in the development of the British shipbuilding industry and was knighted for his contributions.
Lastly, Cargill Gilston Knott (1856-1922) was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of electromagnetism and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1892.
These examples demonstrate the long-standing presence of the Knot surname in various fields, from religion and politics to medicine, engineering, and academia, further solidifying its historical significance in England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knot
Among Census respondents with the surname Knot, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Knot bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Knot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.9% · 83
- Black or African American16.2% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knot
Knot appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-24 bearers (-18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 31,593 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+12 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,637 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-18.6%) | Down 31,593 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 10,637 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Knot surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #154,907 | #144,270 | 6.9% |
| Count | 105 | 117 | 11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knot bearers went from 105 to 117 (+11.4% change). The surname moved up 10,637 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #144,270.
FAQ
Knot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knot?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Knot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Knot?
Knot ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Knot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Knot.
Has Knot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knot went from 105 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 12 (+11.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Knot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knot, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (16.2%) and Hispanic (6.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Knot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.9%), Black (16.2%), Hispanic (6.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Knot (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Knot mean?
A surname derived from the word "knot," potentially referring to someone with a skill in knot-tying or a related occupation. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Knot (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Knot?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.