Knott
A surname that can come from a place on a rocky summit, from the personal name Canute/Cnut, or from a nickname linked to “knot.”
The #2,466 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,115 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Historical sources give more than one possible source for Knott. One common explanation is topographic: it could mean someone who lived “at the knot,” a dialect word for a hilltop or rocky knoll. Other writers connect it with the Scandinavian personal name Cnut or Canute, while some also allow a nickname sense from Old English cnotta, meaning “knot,” or a related personal name. The surname therefore has several plausible roots rather than a single certain one.
History
The name is found early in medieval records in forms such as Richard Knotte in 14th-century London. It appears in English surname studies as both a local surname and a patronymic linked to Canute, and it has been discussed in relation to the bird-name knot, though that is more about the animal’s name than the surname itself. The spelling Knott is now standard, with variants such as Nott and Knotts also appearing historically.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root Cnut/Canute also lies behind the old name of the bird called the knot or knot-ting, mentioned by early antiquarians and poets.
From the historical record
“KNOTT Knott, Elnotts. — ( i) Local, 'at the knot/ the summit of a rocky hill, from reaidence thereon ; cf. Knapp, Knaggs, and Knoll, all of similar origin. (2) Bapt *theson ofCnut* (Canute). (3) Nick. ; v. NotL Richard Knotte, London. 1373. A. Peter Criotte, co. Salop, ibid.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)