# Knox (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/knox/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 44,742 |
| US rank (2010) | 769 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 6,901 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.2% (42,937 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /nɑks/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic cnoc (“round hill”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Knox in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 63% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 31% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Knox in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

## People named Knox

- Henry Knox, American general and Secretary of War (1750–1806)
- Frank Knox, 47th Secretary of the Navy of the United States (1874-1944)
- Philander C. Knox, American lawyer, banker, and politician (1853-1921)
- Rob Knox, British actor (1989–2008)
- Amanda Knox, American woman exonerated of a murder conviction in Italy
- Elyse Knox, American actress (1917-2012)
- Mike Knox, American professional wrestler
- Kevin Knox II, American basketball player (born 1999)
- Belle Knox, American pornographic actress
- Bronwen Knox, Australian water polo player
- James Knox, British cyclist
- Buddy Knox, American singer and songwriter (1933–1999)

and 9 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Knouse, King, Kang, Koenig, Kinsey, Kong, Kunz, Kuhns, Koonce, Kwong, Koons, Kuang.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.