ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 2011 First Year 2026 Last Year 2022 Peak Year #4670 Peak Rank 272 Total Count 15 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Knox What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Knox is a primarily masculine given name, a transferred use of a Scottish surname and place name from the Scots Gaelic "cnoc" or Old English cnocc, referring to a small hill with a round top. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knox%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knox%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English 📖 ## The Story of Knox Knox first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1881, with 8 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2022: 1,900 births, good for #199 nationwide. The 2020s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 47% of all recorded Knoxs. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #195 among baby boy names with 1,811 births, gradually rising (+10%). In total, more than 26K Knoxs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data ⭐ ## Notable people named Knox A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia. * ●Knox (punk musician) , stage name of Ian Milroy Carnochan, born 1945, British musician and founding member of the seminal punk band the Vibrators. * ●Knox Chandler (born 1958), American session guitarist and cellist. * ●Knox Martin (1923-2022), American painter, sculptor, and muralist. * ●Knox H. White (born 1954), American mayor for Greenville, South Carolina Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knox%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knox%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Knox Phonetically similar names — useful when Knox is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Knocks * [Nox](/nox) * Nocks * Nocs * Next * Necks * Nikes * [Nix](/nix) * Nicks * Knicks * Nex * Nukes Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Knox What does the name Knox mean? Knox is a primarily masculine given name, a transferred use of a Scottish surname and place name from the Scots Gaelic "cnoc" or Old English cnocc, referring to a small hill with a round top. What is the origin of the name Knox? Knox has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English. How popular is Knox in 2026? In 2026, Knox ranks #195 among boys' names in the U.S., with 1,811 babies given the name that year. When was Knox most popular? Knox reached its peak popularity in 2022, ranking #195 that year with 1,900 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Knox most popular? Knox has historically been most popular in South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Knox. Is Knox a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Knox is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Knox? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Knox include Clint, Rafael, Doyle. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧MarraPeak #4670](/marra)[👧BelkisPeak #4670](/belkis)[👧ShantelePeak #4670](/shantele)[👧OzlemPeak #4670](/ozlem)[👧ShalesePeak #4670](/shalese)[👧ShontiaPeak #4670](/shontia)[👧PhylishaPeak #4670](/phylisha)[👧VaneshaPeak #4670](/vanesha) ## About the name Knox Knox is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1881 and has accumulated 26K births in the dataset. Knox's peak popularity came in 2022 when it ranked #195\. Use the chart and map above to compare Knox's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2022 → ](/year/2022) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "K" → ](/letter/k) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.