The Knowles surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 28,460 people carried this name — #1,239 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 10,400 people counted. That is up 4% from 27,380 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Knowles surname

Topographic surname for someone who lived at the top of a hill, from a genitive or plural form of Middle English knol (“hilltop, hillock”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Knowles» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the knoll’.

An early record he cites: Cecilia de Knolle, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Knoll, Knollys and Knowles.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 460 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 13 births for the Knowles name in 1890.

Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin and Antrim.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 7
Ulster 5
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 38 people named Knowles.

Most of them — 25 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 25
Paris 5
Loire-Atlantique 3
Seine-Maritime 2
Charente-Maritime 1
Ille-et-Vilaine 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

85 people named Knowles are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 65
Finland (2026) 20

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Knowles was found among the farmers of 8 counties.

It was most frequent in Lancashire: 31 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 323. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Lancashire 31
Yorkshire, West Riding 31
Worcestershire 22
Cornwall 16
Derbyshire 15
Cheshire 14
Sussex 10
Lincolnshire 8

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Knowles was recorded 41 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 634th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 43. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

234 families named Knowles, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,362 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Knowles, Knolds, Knoles, Knoll, Knowel, Knowell, Knowls, Noal, Noel, Noell, Nole, Noles, Noll, Nolles, Nool, Noul, Nowel, Nowell, Nowells, Nowels, Nowls. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 47
New Hampshire 32
Pennsylvania 26
Virginia 25
North Carolina 22
Rhode Island 21
Maine 20
Connecticut 18
Maryland 13
New York 5
South Carolina 4
Vermont 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 249 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Knowles in American newspapers,
1873–1914.

Newspaper page from Burlington Weekly Free Press carrying the name Knowles
Burlington Weekly Free Press 1911-07-27
Newspaper page from Rock Springs Miner carrying the name Knowles
Rock Springs Miner 1914-09-12
Newspaper page from Spirit Of The Age carrying the name Knowles
Spirit Of The Age 1873-10-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 206,864 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Knowles in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

48,409 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Knowles. The most, 8,285, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 12,013
Victoria 10,501
Queensland 9,318
South Australia 8,353
Western Australia 4,002
Tasmania 3,632
ACT (Canberra) 372
Northern Territory 134

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Knowles.

Who carried it

People named Knowles,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lois Knowles d. 2002 · professor
  • Anne Byron Knowles d. 1885
  • Margery Hannah Knowles d. 1925
  • Andrew Knowles d. 1847
  • Eliza Knowles d. 1782
  • Iris Lilian Knowles d. 2001

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Knowles,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,446 records

3,446 records of the Knowles name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,016
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 631
  • Other U.S. records 1,799
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Edward E. Knowles

    Born 1923 in Florida. Enlisted 1942 at Gainesville; auto mechanic from Dixie County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Pineview Memorial Gardens, Perry, Florida.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ralph F. Knowles

    Born 1914 in Texas. Enlisted 1943 at San Francisco, California; porter. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1972, buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Harriett Knowles

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of New York from Liverpool, aged 20; helper. From London; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 3,446 records for Knowles in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,992 records

1,992 records of the Knowles name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 893
  • Tasmanian Names Index 506
  • Other Australian records 593
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Knowles

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Duchess of Northumberland, sailing from Woolwich in 1852. Native of Bristol, Gloucestershire. Married 1855 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 28.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Henry Knowles

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Moffatt, sailing from Plymouth in 1834. Native of Leicester, Leicestershire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1841.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Edward Knowles

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Caledonia, sailing from Portsmouth in 1820. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,992 records for Knowles in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada452 records

452 records of the Knowles name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 317
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 49
  • Other Canadian records 86
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Knowles

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Ganges, landing at Quebec, bound for Weston, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Donald Allan Knowles

    Buried in 1975 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 40.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Stanley Knowles

    Died 1997, aged 88; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 452 records for Knowles in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom162 records

162 records of the Knowles name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 109
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 23
  • Other British records 30
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Benjamin Knowles

    Born 1885 at Aberdeen. Served in the First World War. Named in the University of Aberdeen roll of service in the Great War, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Knowles

    Buried in 1949 at Mar Place Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 71.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Julia Knowles

    Will proved in 1911; of Deganwy, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 162 records for Knowles in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand57 records

57 records of the Knowles name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 44
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 5
  • Other New Zealand records 8
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eva Joy Knowles

    Died 2001, aged 84; buried at Avonhead Memorial Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Frances Cross Knowles

    Died 1907, aged 36; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Winifred Knowles

    Died 2000; buried at Kaiapoi Public Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 57 records for Knowles in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands29 records

29 records of the Knowles name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 21
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 6
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Samuel Knowles

    Died 1849 in Rotterdam, aged 20.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ada Knowles

    Married in 1908 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Richardus Knowles

    Buried in 1693 in Anloo.

    Open Archives, Drents Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 29 records for Knowles in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France13 records

13 records of the Knowles name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georgette Valentine Knowles

    Born 1907 in Paris; died 2001 in Millau (Aveyron).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gordon Oliver Knowles

    Born 1941 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Rouen (Seine-Maritime).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 13 records for Knowles in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Belgium4 records

4 records of the Knowles name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Henriette Knowles

    Born 1904 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Lilian Knowles

    Born 1907 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Knowles in Belgium.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Knowles.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Knowles is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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