2000
#4,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,931
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.94
Rare Last name
Knowlton
From an English place name meaning "hill of the knoll" or "town on the knoll."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,798 Americans carry the last name Knowlton. That puts it at #4,487 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,958 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Knowlton 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 Knowlton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,958
Census rank
#4,487
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,672 bearers of the surname Knowlton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4487th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Knowlton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Knowlton
The surname Knowlton originated in England, and its roots can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon era. It is derived from the Old English words "cnoll," meaning a hill or hilltop, and "tun," meaning a town or settlement. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Cnolletun," found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
The name Knowlton is believed to have originated as a place name, referring to a settlement or dwelling located on a hilltop. This geographic association is common among many English surnames, as they often referred to the location where a person or family resided. The name is thought to have been initially used to identify individuals from the village of Knowlton, which is now located in the county of Kent.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Knowlton, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1203. Another early record is of William de Knolton, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327. The spelling variations found in historical documents include Knolton, Knollton, and Knowleton, reflecting the evolution of the name over time.
In the 14th century, Sir Robert Knowlton was a prominent figure who served as a Member of Parliament for Kent. He was born around 1320 and played a significant role in local politics during his lifetime.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Thomas Knowlton (1691-1782) was a noted military leader who fought for the Parliamentary forces. He was born in Berkshire and is remembered for his bravery and strategic leadership in several battles.
Another notable bearer of the name was Samuel Knowlton (1734-1776), an American military officer who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Massachusetts and played a crucial role in the Battle of Bunker Hill, where he lost his life while leading his troops.
The name Knowlton has also been associated with several place names throughout England, such as Knowlton Court in Kent, Knowlton Hanger in Wiltshire, and Knowlton Village in Dorset. These locations likely derived their names from the original settlement or individuals who bore the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Knowlton
Among Census respondents with the surname Knowlton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Knowlton 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 Knowlton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 6,744
- Black or African American3.7% · 285
- Two or more races3.3% · 257
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 255
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 81
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Knowlton
Knowlton 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
#4,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,157
+226 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.77
Rank movement Down 221 places
2020
#4,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,672
-485 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,133 | 7,931 | 2.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,354 | 8,157 | 2.77 | +226 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 221 places |
| 2020 | #4,487 | 7,672 | 2.57 | -485 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 133 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 Knowlton 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 | #4,354 | #4,487 | -3.1% |
| Count | 8,157 | 7,672 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.77 | 2.57 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Knowlton bearers went from 8,157 to 7,672 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 133 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,354 to #4,487.
FAQ
Knowlton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Knowlton?
Name Census estimates that about 8,798 living Americans carry the surname Knowlton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,958 residents.
How common is Knowlton?
Knowlton ranks #4,487 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,672 people with the surname Knowlton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,798), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Knowlton.
Has Knowlton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Knowlton went from 8,157 recorded bearers to 7,672. That is a decrease of 485 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,354 to #4,487.
What does the Census say about the background of Knowlton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Knowlton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Knowlton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (6,744 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Knowlton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Black (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Knowlton (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 Knowlton mean?
From an English place name meaning "hill of the knoll" or "town on the knoll." 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 Knowlton (2.57 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 surname Knowlton?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.