Knowles

English

Alternative forms

• (surname): Knoles, Knollys, Noles

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /noʊlz/
• Rhymes: -əʊlz

Proper noun

Knowles (countable and uncountable, plural Knowleses)

1. (countable) A surname from Middle English.
2. (uncountable) A placename, from the surname:
   1. An unincorporated community in Madera County, California, United States.
   2. A small town in Beaver County, Oklahoma, United States.
   3. An unincorporated community in the town of Lomira, Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Knowles is the 1239^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 28460 individuals. Knowles is most common among White (81.01%) and Black/African American (13.19%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Knowles”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 325.

Anagrams

• Wolkens