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

Knuckles, 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 Knuckles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Knuckles in America

Knuckles is the 12348th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Knuckles surname appeared 2,519 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Knuckles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Knuckles 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 Knuckles

The surname KNUCKLES is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cnucol," which referred to a small hill or ridge. It is believed to have originated in the late 11th or early 12th century, possibly as a descriptive name for someone who lived near or on a small hill or ridge.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with names derived from the Old English word "cnucol," such as Knoculvill and Cnuculesfeld. While the surname KNUCKLES itself is not mentioned, these place names suggest the existence of the word from which it is derived.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname KNUCKLES can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Robertus de Knucoles is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use as a surname by the late 12th century.

During the 13th century, variations of the name began to appear in various records, including Cnukel in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1212 and Knukel in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1285. These early spellings reflect the evolving form of the surname from its Old English roots.

Notable individuals with the surname KNUCKLES include:

1. John Knuckles (c. 1520 - 1585), an English merchant and alderman of the City of London.
2. William Knuckles (1600 - 1667), an English clergyman who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Maidstone, Kent.
3. Elizabeth Knuckles (1655 - 1718), an English writer and poet whose works include "The Compleat Gentlewoman" published in 1692.
4. Thomas Knuckles (1775 - 1858), a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was present at the Battle of Waterloo.
5. Charles Knuckles (1842 - 1920), an American businessman and industrialist who founded the Knuckles Manufacturing Company in Chicago, Illinois.

The surname KNUCKLES has continued to be used throughout England and other parts of the English-speaking world, with various spellings and variations arising over time. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English language and the descriptive term for a small hill or ridge.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Knuckles

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

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 Knuckles 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 Knuckles 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 Knuckles was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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