Fun Facts About the Name Knox
- More than 24 thousand babies named Knox: U.S. records list 24,370 babies given the name Knox from 1880 through 2025. Even 240 girls received the name Knox - about 1 girl for every 101 boys.
What Does the Name Knox Mean?
Knox is a Scottish surname, now also used as a given name, that comes from Scottish Gaelic cnoc (older form cnocc), meaning "hill," "hillock," or "knoll." It began as a topographic name for someone who lived by a hill, or as a habitational name for someone from a place named with that element - most often the lands of Knock, also recorded as Knox, in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
The same Celtic word was borrowed into Old English as cnocc, "hilltop," and appears in English place names as well. Because of that overlap, some families named Knox may trace to an English place name rather than a Gaelic one, and the two strands are hard to tell apart. The core sense, however, is a raised piece of ground. The familiar gloss "round hill" is a customary rendering rather than a strict translation of the Gaelic word.
Knox Name History & Origins
The surname Knox is recorded in Scotland in the Middle Ages, and its likeliest home is the barony of Knock, also spelled Knox, in Renfrewshire, south of Glasgow. As was common in Scotland, a family living on or holding such lands took the place name as a surname, and the spelling settled into its present form over time.
The name entered wide historical notice through John Knox (c. 1514 - 1572), the Scottish clergyman who led the Protestant Reformation in Scotland and helped shape the Presbyterian church. He was born in Haddington, east of Edinburgh, and his surname was already in use before his lifetime. Through his influence the name became closely tied to Scottish Presbyterianism, and it traveled with Scottish and Ulster Scots settlers to Ireland and, later, to North America.
In the United States, the name is also known through Henry Knox (1750 - 1806), a general in the American Revolutionary War and the first U.S. Secretary of War; Fort Knox in Kentucky is named after him. Knox College in Illinois and a number of towns and counties also carry the name.
As a given name, Knox has been used chiefly in the United States, where surname-names for boys are common. It also appears in modern fiction, such as the character Knox Overstreet in the 1989 film Dead Poets Society.
How Popular is the Name Knox?
Knox recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2022. Its best rank was #196 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,121 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2024 | #6,036 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #5,651 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 2022 | #4,728 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 2021 | #5,484 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2020 | #6,504 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2019 | #6,303 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #5,913 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2017 | #6,687 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2016 | #7,441 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #8,232 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2014 | #9,879 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #11,511 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #14,114 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #196 | 1,836 | 0.1075% |
| 2024 | #209 | 1,701 | 0.0992% |
| 2023 | #208 | 1,781 | 0.1042% |
| 2022 | #199 | 1,900 | 0.1089% |
| 2021 | #220 | 1,737 | 0.0994% |
| 2020 | #238 | 1,529 | 0.0886% |
| 2019 | #241 | 1,562 | 0.0871% |
| 2018 | #219 | 1,706 | 0.0940% |
| 2017 | #233 | 1,640 | 0.0886% |
| 2016 | #245 | 1,539 | 0.0811% |
| 2015 | #258 | 1,403 | 0.0732% |
| 2014 | #286 | 1,244 | 0.0648% |
| 2013 | #344 | 928 | 0.0491% |
| 2012 | #367 | 822 | 0.0433% |
| 2011 | #434 | 630 | 0.0332% |
| 2010 | #459 | 579 | 0.0302% |
| 2009 | #704 | 341 | 0.0172% |
| 2008 | #1,661 | 93 | 0.0046% |
| 2007 | #2,201 | 61 | 0.0029% |
| 2006 | #2,163 | 60 | 0.0029% |
| 2005 | #2,415 | 48 | 0.0024% |
| 2004 | #2,297 | 50 | 0.0025% |
| 2003 | #2,968 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2002 | #3,515 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2001 | #4,051 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2000 | #3,712 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 1999 | #3,651 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1998 | #3,247 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1997 | #3,976 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1996 | #3,937 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1995 | #5,353 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #8,328 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #6,012 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #5,917 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #7,811 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #6,842 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #7,480 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #7,959 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #6,362 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #4,950 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #6,911 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1973 | #5,510 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #4,180 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #3,689 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #3,394 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #4,213 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #4,348 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #3,505 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,484 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #2,808 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1959 | #3,156 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #2,732 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1957 | #3,785 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,098 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1954 | #2,377 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1953 | #2,150 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1952 | #2,788 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1951 | #2,014 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1950 | #2,507 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1949 | #2,282 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1948 | #3,953 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #2,583 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1946 | #3,044 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #2,490 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1944 | #2,555 | 9 | 0.0007% |
| 1943 | #2,035 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1942 | #1,912 | 15 | 0.0011% |
| 1941 | #1,860 | 15 | 0.0012% |
| 1940 | #1,853 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1939 | #3,297 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #3,362 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1937 | #2,588 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1936 | #2,539 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1935 | #2,628 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1934 | #1,975 | 14 | 0.0014% |
| 1933 | #2,295 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1932 | #3,235 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1931 | #2,398 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1930 | #2,241 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1929 | #1,761 | 19 | 0.0018% |
| 1928 | #2,009 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1927 | #2,156 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1926 | #2,032 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1925 | #2,677 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1924 | #2,094 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1923 | #1,726 | 21 | 0.0019% |
| 1922 | #1,729 | 21 | 0.0019% |
| 1921 | #1,678 | 22 | 0.0020% |
| 1920 | #2,096 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1919 | #1,782 | 19 | 0.0019% |
| 1918 | #1,863 | 18 | 0.0018% |
| 1917 | #1,506 | 23 | 0.0025% |
| 1916 | #1,733 | 18 | 0.0020% |
| 1915 | #2,732 | 9 | 0.0011% |
| 1914 | #3,095 | 6 | 0.0009% |
| 1913 | #1,882 | 10 | 0.0020% |
| 1912 | #1,969 | 8 | 0.0019% |
| 1909 | #1,377 | 6 | 0.0037% |
| 1907 | #1,269 | 6 | 0.0041% |
| 1900 | #1,006 | 8 | 0.0053% |
| 1896 | #1,184 | 5 | 0.0042% |
| 1888 | #874 | 7 | 0.0058% |
| 1881 | #677 | 8 | 0.0079% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Knox Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Knox's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Knox's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.