Knox
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Knox Surname Genealogy
The Old English cnocc and the Gaelic cnoc, both meaning a "rounded topped hill" or hillock, gave rise to the surname Knox, either directly or through the place-name Knock (in particular the Knock in Renfrewshire). The surname is common in Lowland Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Scotland. The forebear of the Knox family was said to be Adamus, of Saxon origin, who received the barony of Cnoc or Knox in Renfrewshire as part of a dowry. The first recorded spelling of the name was that of John de Cnoc, his son, in 1260 in the charter lists for Renfrewshire. For many generations this family held the castle of Ranfurly (between present day Glasgow and Greenock).
John Knox, the great Scottish reformer, is thought to have come from these Ranfurly Knoxes. He was born into a farming family in Haddington near Edinburgh around 1510. After a nomadic time in England and the Continent, Knox's moment came in 1560 when the Scottish Parliament voted for the overthrow of the old Catholic church and its replacement by a Reformed Kirk. It was he who shaped the new Presbyterian Church. John Knox himself had no sons but his brother William had three.
During the 17th century, many Knoxes left the Scottish borders for Glasgow or for Ulster (where there are larger numbers today).
England. Knox is a Scottish border name and the main spillover into England has been into the English border counties of Northumberland and Durham. Many Knoxes became Durham coal miners.
Ireland. The Knox name came to Ireland when Thomas Knox, a Glasgow merchant, moved to Belfast in the 1660's and subsequently established himself at Northland House in county Tyrone as the successor of the Ranfurly Knoxes. Indeed the grandson Thomas Knox assumed the title of Earl of Ranfurly; and a descendant even resurrected the ancient name of Uchter (he, the fifth Earl, became Governor of New Zealand in the early 1900's).
There were many Scots Irish Knox families in Tyrone and Fermanagh as a result of the Scottish plantations, and also in Belfast, Derry, and Donegal. Andrew Knox, a relative of the great reformer, was bishop of Raphoe and had secured land in Rathmullan, Donegal as early as 1612. This family also held land in Derry and they built Prehen House on the outskirts of town around 1740. And three brothers from Renfrewshire settled as tenant farmers near Coleraine in Derry sometime around 1620.
America. The Knox name was prominent in the early history of the United States, none more so that that borne by Henry Knox, a hero of the Revolutionary War.
Henry Knox had come from a poor background in Boston, the son of a Scots Irish sea captain from Donegal who had fallen on hard times. He rose to prominence as a military commander during the Revolutionary War, a protege of George Washington, and subsequently served as US Secretary of War. One line of this family - from Arthur Knox - headed west and became pioneer settlers in Oregon territory.
John Knox was also Scots Irish, from Derry, and had come to America around 1740, ultimately landing in Rowan County, North Carolina where he and his family were among the earliest settlers. His descendants were prominent in the Revolutionary War (William Knox was with Washington at Valley Forge) and included the 11th President of the United States, James K (for Knox) Polk. The lineage is traced in Hattie Goodman's 1905 book, The Knox Family.
Another Scots Irish Knox, William, came to Massachusetts in 1737. His descendants were also active in the Revolutionary War. However, these Knoxes only came to prominence much later. Seymour Knox, a co-founder of the F.W. Woolworth chain, made a fortune from five-and-dime stores and his family has been a force in Buffalo, New York ever since.
Other early Scots Irish arrivals were:
Select Knox Miscellany
Select Knox Names
Adamus de Knox is said to be the forebear of the Knox family of Renfrewshire.
John Knox was leader of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland and founder of the Presbyterian church.
Thomas Knox, a Glasgow merchant, established the Knox lineage in Ireland.
Henry Knox was the military hero of the Revolutionary War from Boston who later became the nation's first Secretary for War. Fort Knox in Kentucky, where the US gold reserves are deposited, is named after him.
Seymour Knox was a 19th century businessman from Buffalo, New York who made his fortune in five-and-dime stores.
Frank Knox was a US newspaper publisher, politician, and Secretary of the Navy during World War Two.
Select Knoxes Today
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The Origin/Spread of Surnames
The Old English cnocc and the Gaelic cnoc, both meaning a "rounded topped hill" or hillock, gave rise to the surname Knox, either directly or through the place-name Knock (in particular the Knock in Renfrewshire). The surname is common in Lowland Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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Knox
Resources on
The
Internet
- Knox Society. Knox family association.
- Knox Family. Knox family from Ayr.
- Knox Family et al Joseph Knox - from Ireland to Australia.
- Montpelier - The General Knox Museum Henry Knox in Maine.
- The Knox Family of Buffalo Seymour Knox history.
Scotland. The forebear of the Knox family was said to be Adamus, of Saxon origin, who received the barony of Cnoc or Knox in Renfrewshire as part of a dowry. The first recorded spelling of the name was that of John de Cnoc, his son, in 1260 in the charter lists for Renfrewshire. For many generations this family held the castle of Ranfurly (between present day Glasgow and Greenock).
John Knox, the great Scottish reformer, is thought to have come from these Ranfurly Knoxes. He was born into a farming family in Haddington near Edinburgh around 1510. After a nomadic time in England and the Continent, Knox's moment came in 1560 when the Scottish Parliament voted for the overthrow of the old Catholic church and its replacement by a Reformed Kirk. It was he who shaped the new Presbyterian Church. John Knox himself had no sons but his brother William had three.
During the 17th century, many Knoxes left the Scottish borders for Glasgow or for Ulster (where there are larger numbers today).
England. Knox is a Scottish border name and the main spillover into England has been into the English border counties of Northumberland and Durham. Many Knoxes became Durham coal miners.
Ireland. The Knox name came to Ireland when Thomas Knox, a Glasgow merchant, moved to Belfast in the 1660's and subsequently established himself at Northland House in county Tyrone as the successor of the Ranfurly Knoxes. Indeed the grandson Thomas Knox assumed the title of Earl of Ranfurly; and a descendant even resurrected the ancient name of Uchter (he, the fifth Earl, became Governor of New Zealand in the early 1900's).
There were many Scots Irish Knox families in Tyrone and Fermanagh as a result of the Scottish plantations, and also in Belfast, Derry, and Donegal. Andrew Knox, a relative of the great reformer, was bishop of Raphoe and had secured land in Rathmullan, Donegal as early as 1612. This family also held land in Derry and they built Prehen House on the outskirts of town around 1740. And three brothers from Renfrewshire settled as tenant farmers near Coleraine in Derry sometime around 1620.
America. The Knox name was prominent in the early history of the United States, none more so that that borne by Henry Knox, a hero of the Revolutionary War.
Henry Knox had come from a poor background in Boston, the son of a Scots Irish sea captain from Donegal who had fallen on hard times. He rose to prominence as a military commander during the Revolutionary War, a protege of George Washington, and subsequently served as US Secretary of War. One line of this family - from Arthur Knox - headed west and became pioneer settlers in Oregon territory.
John Knox was also Scots Irish, from Derry, and had come to America around 1740, ultimately landing in Rowan County, North Carolina where he and his family were among the earliest settlers. His descendants were prominent in the Revolutionary War (William Knox was with Washington at Valley Forge) and included the 11th President of the United States, James K (for Knox) Polk. The lineage is traced in Hattie Goodman's 1905 book, The Knox Family.
Another Scots Irish Knox, William, came to Massachusetts in 1737. His descendants were also active in the Revolutionary War. However, these Knoxes only came to prominence much later. Seymour Knox, a co-founder of the F.W. Woolworth chain, made a fortune from five-and-dime stores and his family has been a force in Buffalo, New York ever since.
Other early Scots Irish arrivals were:
- Matthew Knox to Mecklenburg county, North Carolina in the early 1760's
- Robert Knox to Lincoln county, North Carolina in the 1770's
- and James
Knox and his family from Donegal to Charleston, South Carolina
in 1767
- Thomas and Jane Knox in 1854 from Tyrone on the Hilton (the voyage took 83 days and their infant son Andrew died en route)
- Joseph Knox in 1863 also from
Tyrone (his family story is recounted in The Knox Chronicles)
- and James and Elizabeth Knox in the 1860's from Fermanagh (he became a JP in Victoria).
Select Knox Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
Select Knox Names
Adamus de Knox is said to be the forebear of the Knox family of Renfrewshire.
John Knox was leader of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland and founder of the Presbyterian church.
Thomas Knox, a Glasgow merchant, established the Knox lineage in Ireland.
Henry Knox was the military hero of the Revolutionary War from Boston who later became the nation's first Secretary for War. Fort Knox in Kentucky, where the US gold reserves are deposited, is named after him.
Seymour Knox was a 19th century businessman from Buffalo, New York who made his fortune in five-and-dime stores.
Frank Knox was a US newspaper publisher, politician, and Secretary of the Navy during World War Two.
Select Knoxes Today
- 12,000 in the UK (most numerous in Belfast)
- 14,000 in America (most numerous in Texas).
- 13,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Canada).
Site Map: Select Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames
For other surnames check the companion selectsurname.com site where there are to be found the history and genealogy for more than 500 surnames.