Knowles Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Knowles last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Knowles last name
Meaning of the Knowles last name: dweller by a knoll. Knowles is an English surname for someone who lived by a knoll orsmall hill, from Old English cnoll, or from Knowle in Warwickshire. The last name is common in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Curiously, the same old word gave the Scots knowe, still used for a little hill.
Arms associated with the Knowles name
In English heraldry, coats of arms associated with the Knowles name are described in a blazon, a short formal text.
Get your full Knowles family history
This is only a glimpse of the Knowles story. The full Knowles history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Knowles coat of arms. Get the full Knowles report.
Knowles name FAQ
What does the Knowles name mean?
Dweller by a knoll. Common variants include Knoles, Noles.
Where does the Knowles surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Bahamas.
Is there a Knowles coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Knowles coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).