2000
#1,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,380
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.15
Uncommon Last name
Knowles
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "knoll" or "hillock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,226 Americans carry the last name Knowles. That puts it at #1,263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,977 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knowles 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 Knowles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
31K
1 in 10,977
Census rank
#1,263
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,231 bearers of the surname Knowles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knowles, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knowles
The surname Knowles originated in England, and it dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "cnolle" and "hyll," which mean "hill" or "knoll." The name was likely adopted as a descriptive surname for someone who lived on or near a hill or knoll.
The Knowles surname is believed to have emerged in various parts of England, including Lancashire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cnoll."
In the 13th century, the name was spelled in various ways, such as "Knolle," "Knolles," and "Knollys." The spelling "Knowles" became more common in the 16th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Knowles was Sir Robert Knowles, a renowned English military commander who lived from around 1310 to 1407. He played a significant role in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.
Another notable figure with the Knowles surname was John Knowles, a British politician and landowner who lived from 1619 to 1684. He served as a Member of Parliament and was involved in the English Civil War.
In the literary world, James Knowles (1759-1840) was an English playwright and actor who wrote several popular plays, including "The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal Green."
The Knowles family also had connections to place names. For example, the village of Knollys in Shropshire, England, was named after the Knowles family, who owned land in the area.
Reverend James Knowles (1798-1884) was an American clergyman and author who wrote several books on theology and religious topics. He was born in Massachusetts and played a significant role in the development of the Unitarian church in the United States.
Overall, the surname Knowles has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, with connections to various regions, place names, and notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knowles
Among Census respondents with the surname Knowles, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Knowles 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 Knowles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.3% · 21,043
- Black or African American13.4% · 3,661
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,185
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 1,047
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 187
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 108
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knowles
Knowles 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
#1,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,460
+1,080 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 9.65
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#1,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,231
-1,229 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 9.11
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,174 | 27,380 | 10.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,239 | 28,460 | 9.65 | +1,080 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #1,263 | 27,231 | 9.11 | -1,229 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 24 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 Knowles 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 | #1,239 | #1,263 | -1.9% |
| Count | 28,460 | 27,231 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 9.65 | 9.11 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knowles bearers went from 28,460 to 27,231 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,239 to #1,263.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Knowles
FAQ
Knowles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knowles?
Name Census estimates that about 31,226 living Americans carry the surname Knowles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,977 residents.
How common is Knowles?
Knowles ranks #1,263 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,231 people with the surname Knowles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,226), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Knowles.
Has Knowles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knowles went from 28,460 recorded bearers to 27,231. That is a decrease of 1,229 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,239 to #1,263.
What does the Census say about the background of Knowles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knowles, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Knowles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (21,043 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knowles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.3%), Black (13.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Knowles (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 Knowles mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "knoll" or "hillock." 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 Knowles (9.11 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 people have the last name Knowles?
Want to know how many people have the last name Knowles? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.