Find out how popular the last name Knott is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Knott.

Knott, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Knott surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knott in America

Knott is the 2466th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knott surname appeared 14,622 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Knott.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knott to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Knott

The surname Knott has its origins in England and is derived from the Old English word 'cnotta', meaning a knot or a knotted cord. It was likely used initially as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with ropes or knotted cords, perhaps a sailor or a ropemaker.

The earliest recorded instance of the Knott surname dates back to the 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire, where a Roger Cnot is mentioned in 1195. Another early record is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert Knot in Oxfordshire.

During the medieval period, the surname Knott was particularly prevalent in the counties of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire. Some notable early bearers of the name include John Knot, who was a member of the Parliament of England in 1399, and William Knott, a landowner in Yorkshire mentioned in the Court Rolls of 1447.

The name Knott is also connected to several place names in England, such as Knott Hill in Staffordshire and Knott Lane in Derbyshire. These place names likely derived their names from individuals with the surname Knott who lived in or owned land in those areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Knott surname in the United States is that of John Knott, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. Another notable early American bearer of the name was Thomas Knott, a Quaker who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 17th century.

Throughout history, several individuals with the Knott surname have achieved notable status. These include James Proctor Knott (1830-1908), a U.S. Congressman and Governor of Kentucky, and Edward J. Knott (1799-1875), a prominent American Catholic priest and educator who founded Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland.

Other notable figures with the Knott surname include James Raffield Knott (1853-1923), an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire, and Frederic Knott (1916-2002), an American playwright best known for his play "Dial M for Murder."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knott

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Knott.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Knott was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Knott has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Knott was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Knott, please contact us.

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