How common is the surname Knox?

44,742 people in the United States had the surname Knox in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 6,901 Americans. It ranked 769th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Knox?

Henry Knox, American general and Secretary of War (1750–1806), followed by Frank Knox.

Where is the surname Knox most common?

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

Is the surname Knox getting more or less common?

More common. 42,937 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 44,742 in 2010, up 4.2%.

Is Knox also a first name?

Yes. Knox is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Knox

A Scottish Gaelic surname, carried by 44,742 people in the United States.

Pronounced /nɑks/ 1 syllable Soundex K520 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Knox is more common than 99.5% of them.

Origin

Scottish Gaelic origin

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

One of 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 44,742 people named Knox in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 6,901 Americans. That is up 4.2% since 2000, when the Census counted 42,937.

#769

rank among US surnames

44,742

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.2%

change since 2000 (was #724)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#760	Strong	45,432	6,796
#761	Kline	45,390	6,802
#762	Cordova	45,305	6,815
#763	Barajas	45,153	6,838
#764	Roach	45,019	6,858
#765	Rosas	44,938	6,870
#766	Winters	44,914	6,874

Who is named Knox

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

63% of people named Knox identified as white (not Hispanic), 31% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as two or more races.

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Knoxs

21 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

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, born 1987
Elyse Knox
American actress (1917-2012)
Mike Knox
American professional wrestler, born 1978
Kevin Knox II
American basketball player (born 1999)
Belle Knox
American pornographic actress, born 1995
Bronwen Knox
Australian water polo player, born 1986
James Knox
British cyclist, born 1995
Buddy Knox
American singer and songwriter (1933–1999)

Notable Knoxs come mostly from the United States (15), the United Kingdom (4) and Australia (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Knox

Knouse

Knox has the Soundex code K520, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code K520.

Other Scottish Gaelic surnames

All 277 Scottish Gaelic surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Knox come from?: Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic cnoc (“round hill”).
How common is the surname Knox?: 44,742 people in the United States had the surname Knox in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 6,901 Americans. It ranked 769th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Knox?: In the 2010 Census, 63% of people named Knox identified as white (not Hispanic), and 31% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Knox?: Henry Knox, American general and Secretary of War (1750–1806), followed by Frank Knox.
Where is the surname Knox most common?: Wikidata records people named Knox in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
How do you pronounce Knox?: Knox is /nɑks/, one syllable.
Is the surname Knox getting more or less common?: More common. 42,937 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 44,742 in 2010, up 4.2%.
Is Knox also a first name?: Yes. Knox is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.