Knollys Surname

2,106,139th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 80 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
South Africa
Highest density in:
South Africa

Knollys Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the knoll.' from residence thereon; Middle English knol, a hill, a summit. The final 's' in Knowles, Knollys, etc., may be patronymic, as in Brooks, Styles, Holmes, &c, corresponding to Jones, Williams, &c, in surnames of the baptismal class.

Read More About This Surname

Knollys Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
South Africa391:1,389,17274,222
England371:1,505,89364,828
Jamaica11:2,869,94713,896
New Zealand11:4,528,32355,372
Thailand11:70,638,3451,175,915
United States11:362,458,9331,988,048
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England351:696,43933,013

Knollys (16) may also be a first name.

Knollys Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the knoll.' from residence thereon; Middle English knol, a hill, a summit. The final 's' in Knowles, Knollys, etc., may be patronymic, as in Brooks, Styles, Holmes, &c, corresponding to Jones, Williams, &c, in surnames of the baptismal class.

Roger de la Cnolle, Devon, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

John Cnolle, Dorset, ibid.

Robert de la Cnolle, Sussex, ibid.

John atte Knolle. Calendarium Inquisitionum Post Mortem.

Cecilia de Knolle, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes Knoll, 1379: ibid.

Thomas de Knoll, 1379: ibid.

Robert de Knollys, 1397: Preston Guild Rolls.

1583. Baptised — Elizabeth, d. William Knowlles: St. James, Clerkenwell.

1598-9. Married — Robert Knowels and Mary Wryght: St. Dionis Backchurch.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

A form of Knox current in Aberdeen. Knowls 1808.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

A Middle English pl. form of Knoll1, q.v.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

“Hill Top” in Old English (Cnoll). Also “Bulb” in German (Knolle).

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

For the etymology see Knowles. The founder of the family, a person of humble origin, was the famous Sir Robert Knollys, who, after the battle of Poictiers had established the supremacy of the English in France, greatly enriched himself by incursions into that country, where he was known as "the very Devil for fighting" (le veritable Demon de la Guerre). The following distich by a contemporary poet records his prowess.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

The top of a hill. Knowl, in Cornish-British, is a promontory, hill, or eminence, a projection of hilly ground.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Knollys Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Knollys Come From? nationality or country of origin

Knollys occurs most in South Africa. It may also occur as:. For other potential spellings of Knollys click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Knollys? popularity and diffusion

This surname is the 2,106,139th most commonly occurring surname on earth. It is borne by around 1 in 91,094,324 people. It occurs predominantly in Africa, where 49 percent of Knollys live; 49 percent live in Southern Africa and 49 percent live in South Bantu Africa. Knollys is also the 2,786,762nd most common first name internationally. It is borne by 16 people.

It is most commonly used in South Africa, where it is carried by 39 people, or 1 in 1,389,172. In South Africa Knollys is mostly found in: KwaZulu-Natal, where 74 percent are found and Gauteng, where 26 percent are found. Excluding South Africa this surname exists in 5 countries. It is also found in England, where 46 percent are found and Jamaica, where 1 percent are found.

Knollys Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Knollys has changed through the years. In England the number of people bearing the Knollys surname expanded 106 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Knollys Last Name Statistics demography

Knollys earn somewhat more than the average income. In South Africa they earn 8.12% more than the national average, earning R 256,944 per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Knolles8677/
Knollis861/
Knollies801/
Knoles77876/
Knoules714/
Knoeles711/
Knooles710/
Knnoles710/
Kknoles710/
Knales621/
Knuslis571/
Knaules570/
Knoulich5316/
Cennoles531/

Search for Another Surname

Knollys Reference & Research

Knowles FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Knowles FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Knollys
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis