Knowles

K5N1O1W4L1E1S1
US/noʊlz/

proper noun

A surname from Middle English.

OriginMiddle English knol →
Less commonScrabble 14
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Meanings

proper nounKnowles (countable and uncountable, plural Knowleses)

plural Knowleses · alternative Knoles · alternative Knollys · alternative Noles

  1. countableA surname from Middle English.
  2. A placename, from the surname:
    1. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Madera County, California, United States.
    2. countableuncountableA small town in Beaver County, Oklahoma, United States.
    3. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in the town of Lomira, Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishknol“hilltop, hillock”
  2. EnglishKnowles

Topographic surname for someone who lived at the top of a hill, from a genitive or plural form of Middle English knol (“hilltop, hillock”).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Knowles

goalsrolesholesrollsbowlscolesKnollys
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

Knowles. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Knowles

MLA

“Knowles.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Knowles. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Knowles,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Knowles.

Source: Knowles on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.