Knotts
A surname most likely from a nickname or clipped form related to “knott,” meaning a shorn or closely cropped head.
The #4,872 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 42,692 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This name is most likely connected with Middle English nott/knott, a word used for a closely shorn head or a person with cropped hair. Bardsley links it to older nicknames based on appearance, especially the idea of a 'nothead' or shaven head. In some cases, Knotts may also reflect a shortened or altered form of another surname rather than a single fixed origin.
History
The historical record suggests that forms like Knott and Knotts were treated as related surname shapes in older English usage. The name appears in English-speaking records as a family name and later spread to North America through migration. Because the surname can arise from more than one source, different families named Knotts may not share the same origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old English and Middle English nickname surnames often described something very visible about a person, and hair-related bynames were especially common.
From the historical record
“Knott, for Canot, or Caxutk. Knotts, for KxoiT. Knowlin, for Canolin. i Knyvett. &'e IvxEVlTT. I Kydd, for IviDI). I Kyle, for Keyle, or Caylt:y.”
— The Norman People and their existing descendants in the British dominions and the United States