boy's name
Knox
NOKS
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 25,909
the United States
#196
2025 births
Knox is a boy's name of Scottish origin meaning "round hill." It comes from the Gaelic cnoc, a hillock, and belonged to John Knox, the preacher who led the Scottish Reformation.
- Knox is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 1,931 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,793 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1881.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Knox over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 15 |
| 1890s | 5 |
| 1900s | 20 |
| 1910s | 111 |
| 1920s | 173 |
| 1930s | 95 |
| 1940s | 111 |
| 1950s | 92 |
| 1960s | 41 |
| 1970s | 20 |
| 1980s | 30 |
| 1990s | 127 |
| 2000s | 753 |
| 2010s | 12,170 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,619 |
What Knox means
Knox means a round-topped hill or hillock. The Gaelic cnoc describes a small rounded rise specifically, not a mountain, and the surname named someone who lived by one.
Where Knox comes from
Knox comes from the Scottish Gaelic cnoc, a hillock, by way of place names across Scotland and northern England. The initial k was pronounced in Middle English and fell silent only in the seventeenth century — the same change that silenced the k in knee, knight and know. John Knox, who led the Scottish Reformation and founded Presbyterianism, is the name's defining bearer. Fort Knox is named for Henry Knox, Washington's artillery chief and first US Secretary of War.
Knox in use
Our data shows Knox peaking in 2022 and still rising, at 196 in the United States against 841 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1881. Its use as a first name is almost entirely American, which is striking for a surname this closely tied to Scottish history.
How popular is Knox?
In 2025, Knox was given to 1,849 babies in the United States, ranking #196 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Knox is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Knox
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Knox also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Knox over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Knox in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Knoxx
Sibling names for Knox
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Knox — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Knox
What does the name Knox mean?
Knox means "round hill," from the Scottish Gaelic cnoc, a hillock.
Why is the K silent?
It was pronounced in Middle English and fell silent in the seventeenth century — the same change that silenced knee, knight and know.
Is Fort Knox named after John Knox?
No — after Henry Knox, Washington's artillery chief and the first US Secretary of War.
How popular is the name Knox?
In 2025, Knox was given to 1,849 babies in the United States, ranking #196 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Knox a girl's or a boy's name?
Knox is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Knox?
Knox has 1 syllable.
When was Knox most popular?
Knox peaked in 2022, when 1,931 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Knox a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Knox currently ranks #196 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.