Knox
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.
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 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
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. Its peak popularity came in 2022, when 1,900 Knoxs were born — ranking #199 that year. As of 2026, Knox ranks #195 for baby boys 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
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 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
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.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Knox
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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 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.