English
Knowles
Knowles comes from Middle English knol ‘hilltop, hillock’.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500knol‘hilltop, hillock’
- EnglishtodayKnowles
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500knol‘hilltop, hillock’
- EnglishtodayKnowles
The story
Topographic surname for someone who lived at the top of a hill, from a genitive or plural form of Middle English knol (‘hilltop, hillock’).
Every English word from Middle English knol
Today it means
name A surname from Middle English.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English knol / Knowles