Knox is a Scottish surname that originates from the Scottish Gaelic "cnoc", meaning a hillock or a hump[1] or the Old English "cnocc", meaning a round-topped hill.[2]
Pronunciation | /ˈnɒks/ |
---|---|
Language(s) | English |
Origin | |
Language(s) | Scottish Gaelic, English |
Derivation | "cnoc" (hillock, hump) or "cnocc" (rounded hill) |
Meaning | "person residing near a hillock or rounded hill" |
Notable Knoxes include the Presbyterian reformer John Knox and the American Revolutionary War hero Henry Knox; the United States Army facility Fort Knox named after the latter. Other people with this surname include:
People
edit- Sir Adrian Knox (1863-1932), Australian judge and the second Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
- Alexander Knox (1907-1995), Canadian actor
- Alfred Knox (1870–1964), British army officer and politician
- Amanda Knox (born 1987), American woman convicted and acquitted of murdering Meredith Kercher
- Archibald Knox (designer) (1864–1933), designer from Isle of Man
- Archie Knox (born 1947), Scottish football manager
- Arthur Edward Knox (1808–1886), British naturalist and author
- Barbara Knox (born 1933), British actress mainly known for playing Rita Sullivan in the television soap opera Coronation Street
- Bernard Knox (1914-2010), Classicist and first director of the Center for Hellenic Studies
- Bill Knox (1928–1999), Scottish author
- Bronwen Knox (born 1986), Australian water polo player
- Buddy Knox (1933-1999), American rockabilly singer-songwriter
- Buddy Knox (guitarist), Australian country musician
- Cecil Leonard Knox (1889-1943), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Charles Knox (disambiguation), several people
- Chris Knox (born 1952), New Zealand rock 'n' roll musician
- Chuck Knox (1932–2018), American football coach
- Daniel Knox, 6th Earl of Ranfurly (1914-1988), British Second Lieutenant during World War II
- David Knox (disambiguation), several people
- Dawson Knox (born 1996), American football player
- Dilly Knox (1884-1943), British codebreaker and scholar of Greek at King's College, Cambridge
- Dudley Wright Knox (1877-1960), Commodore in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War and World War I
- Edward Knox (Australian politician) (1819–1901), Australian judge and politician
- H. Edward Knox (born 1937), American politician
- Edward M. Knox (1842–1916), Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and Medal of Honor recipient
- E. V. Knox (1881-1971) was a poet, satirist, and editor of Punch from 1932 to 1949
- Elizabeth Knox (borh 1959), New Zealand writer
- Ellis O. Knox (1898-1975), first African-American to be awarded a PhD on the West Coast of the United States
- Elyse Knox (1917-2012), American actress
- Francis Knox-Gore (1803–1873), Anglo-Irish baronet
- Francis Knox (1754–1821), Member of Parliament for Philipstown, Ireland
- Frank Knox (1874-1944), U.S Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt during most of World War II
- George Knox (disambiguation), several people including
- George Knox (MP, died 1827) (1765–1827), Irish Tory politician.
- Sir George Edward Knox (1845–1922), British judge in India
- Sir George Hodges Knox (1885-1960), Australian politician
- George Hodges Knox (1885–1960), Australian politician
- George L. Knox (1841-1927), escaped slave, activist, publisher and author
- George L. Knox II (1916-1964), U.S. Army Air Force Officer and Tuskegee Airman
- George William Knox (1853-1912), American Presbyterian theologian and writer
- George Williams Knox (1838–1894), British soldier
- Harley E. Knox (1899-1956), American politician who served as mayor of San Diego
- Henry Knox (1750-1806), first U.S. Secretary of War
- James Knox (disambiguation), several people
- James Knox-Gore (1775–1818), Anglo-Irish politician
- Janette Hill Knox (1845-1920), American reformer, suffragist, teacher, author
- Jim Knox (1919–1991), New Zealand trade unionist and politician
- Jim Knox (American football), Fox Sports American football commentator, see 2000 Oklahoma Sooners football team
- Jim Knox (ice hockey), Canadian ice hockey player, 1966 Memorial Cup
- John Knox (disambiguation), several people
- Johnny Knox (born 1986), American football player
- Jon Knox, American session musician drummer, producer and composer
- Katharine McCook Knox (1889–1983), American art historian
- Keith Knox (born 1964), Scottish football player and manager
- Keith Knox (born 1967), Scottish boxer
- Kevin Knox (American football) (born 1971), former American football wide receiver
- Kevin Knox II (born 1999), American basketball player for the New York Knicks
- Malcolm Knox, (1900–1980), British philosopher and Principal of St Andrews University
- Malcolm Knox (born 1966), Australian journalist and author
- Mike Knox, ring name of Michael Hettinga, American professional wrestler
- Mona Knox (1929–2008), American model and film actress
- Myra Knox (1853–1915), Canadian-born American physician
- Neville Knox (1884-1935), English cricketer
- Northrup R. Knox (1928-1998) American sportsman, banker, original principal owner of the Buffalo Sabres
- Philander C. Knox (1853-1921), U.S. Attorney General, Secretary of State and Senator
- Rob Knox (1989–2008), British actor who appears in the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
- Robert Knox (disambiguation), several people
- Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (born 1939), British sailor
- Ronald Knox (1888-1957), English theologian and crime writer
- Rose Knox (née Markward) (1857–1950), American businesswoman
- Russell Knox (born 1985), Scottish professional golfer
- Sam Knox (1910–1981), American football player
- Seymour H. Knox I (1861-1915), American merchant and businessman
- Seymour H. Knox II (1898-1990), American philanthropist and art exponent
- Seymour H. Knox III (1926-1996), American sportsman, banker, original principal owner of the Buffalo Sabres
- Shelby Knox, public speaker and feminist in the documentary The Education of Shelby Knox
- Simmie Knox (born 1935), African-American painter
- Steven Knox (born 1974), cricketer who played for Scotland
- Terence Knox (born 1946), American film, stage, and television actor
- Thomas Knox (disambiguation), several people
- Tom Knox, American businessman and politician
- Tom Knox (author), pseudonym of British writer and journalist Sean Thomas
- Tommy Knox (1905–1954), English football goalkeeper
- Trey Knox (born 2001), American football player
- Uchter Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly, Governor of New Zealand
- Vicesimus Knox (1752-1821), English essayist and minister
- Victor A. Knox (1899–1976), U.S. Representative for Michigan
- W. R. Knox (1861–1933), organist in Adelaide, South Australia
- William Knox (disambiguation), several people
Fictional characters
edit- Dlanor A. Knox, a character from the Umineko When They Cry series of dōjin visual novels
- Eric Knox, founder of Knox Enterprises, played by Sam Rockwell, a key character in the film Charlie's Angels (2000)
- Florence Mccarthy ("Flurry") Knox, the protagonist's landlord and a key figure in the Somerville and Ross books
- Ronald Knox, from the Japanese manga series Black Butler
See also
edit- Knox (disambiguation)
- Knox (given name)
- Baron Welles, Viscount Northland, and Earl of Ranfurly (Knox family), Irish peerages created in 1781, 1791 and 1831
References
edit- ^ Sims, Clifford Stanley (1862). The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. With a Vocabulary of Christian Names. Albany, New York: J. Munsell. p. 65. OCLC 1060940902 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Hanks, Patrick (May 8, 2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199771691 – via Google Books.