NameCensus.

UK surname

Knee

A surname of English origin referring to someone with a prominent or deformed knee.

In the 1881 census there were 464 people recorded with the Knee surname, ranking it #7,157 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 528, ranked #9,603, down from #7,157 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Trowbridge and Melksham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wakefield, Cornwall and Chichester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Knee is 599 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 13.8%.

1881 census count

464

Ranked #7,157

Modern count

528

2016, ranked #9,603

Peak year

1911

599 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Knee had 464 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #7,157 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 528 in 2016, ranked #9,603.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 599 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Knee surname distribution map

The map shows where the Knee surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Knee surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Knee over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 346 #6,798
1861 historical 286 #8,793
1881 historical 464 #7,157
1891 historical 487 #7,590
1901 historical 589 #7,164
1911 historical 599 #6,848
1997 modern 542 #8,759
1998 modern 566 #8,726
1999 modern 560 #8,855
2000 modern 543 #9,044
2001 modern 524 #9,141
2002 modern 527 #9,285
2003 modern 514 #9,299
2004 modern 531 #9,100
2005 modern 518 #9,208
2006 modern 515 #9,277
2007 modern 515 #9,357
2008 modern 516 #9,416
2009 modern 522 #9,544
2010 modern 522 #9,739
2011 modern 513 #9,765
2012 modern 510 #9,722
2013 modern 537 #9,526
2014 modern 535 #9,594
2015 modern 519 #9,753
2016 modern 528 #9,603

Geography

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Where Knees are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, Trowbridge, Melksham, King Stanley and Devizes St Mary the Virgin. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wakefield, Cornwall, Chichester, Exeter and Mendip. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 Trowbridge Wiltshire
3 Melksham Wiltshire
4 King Stanley Gloucestershire
5 Devizes St Mary the Virgin Wiltshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wakefield 040 Wakefield
2 Cornwall 058 Cornwall
3 Chichester 014 Chichester
4 Exeter 015 Exeter
5 Mendip 001 Mendip

Forenames

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First names often paired with Knee

These lists show first names that appear often with the Knee surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Knee

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Knee, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Knee surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Knee household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Knee is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Knee is most concentrated in decile 2 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

2
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Knee falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Knee is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Knee, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Knee

The surname "KNEE" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "cneo" or "cneu," meaning "knee" or "knuckle." This surname may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a distinctive physical characteristic related to their knees or may have been a locational name referring to a place name containing the word "knee."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "KNEE" can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from the year 1199, where a person named Robert Knee is mentioned. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Knee is listed.

During the 13th century, the surname "KNEE" was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Gloucestershire. This suggests that the name was not confined to a specific region but had spread across different areas of the country.

In the 16th century, the surname "KNEE" is recorded in the Parish Registers of St. Michael's Church in Coventry, where a Thomas Knee was baptized in 1588. Around the same time, the name appears in the records of the town of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, with a mention of a William Knee in 1597.

Notable individuals with the surname "KNEE" include Richard Knee, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol in the late 16th century, and John Knee, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Taunton in Somerset during the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the surname "KNEE" can be found in various parish records across England, such as in the village of Wrington in Somerset, where a family by the name of Knee is recorded in the late 1700s.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname "KNEE" in North America was Robert Knee, who was born in England in 1630 and later immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1650s. He settled in the town of Ipswich and became a prominent member of the community, serving as a selectman and a deputy to the General Court.

Another notable person with the surname "KNEE" was John Knee, an English artist and engraver born in 1793. He was known for his illustrations of architectural subjects and his work was published in various books and periodicals during the early 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Knee families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Knee surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Wiltshire leads with 148 Knees recorded in 1881 and an index of 37.05x.

County Total Index
Wiltshire 148 37.05x
Gloucestershire 86 9.71x
Middlesex 48 1.06x
Somerset 31 4.26x
Hampshire 29 3.13x
Yorkshire 20 0.45x
Kent 19 1.23x
Surrey 18 0.82x
Sussex 18 2.36x
Lancashire 13 0.24x
Cornwall 8 1.56x
Monmouthshire 6 1.84x
Nottinghamshire 6 0.99x
Oxfordshire 5 1.79x
Warwickshire 4 0.35x
Durham 2 0.15x
Essex 1 0.11x
Suffolk 1 0.18x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Melksham in Wiltshire leads with 45 Knees recorded in 1881 and an index of 648.42x.

Place Total Index
Melksham 45 648.42x
Devizes St Mary 19 470.30x
Stroud 19 110.21x
Brighton 18 11.72x
Minchinhampton 15 212.46x
Warminster 15 171.43x
Rothwell 13 143.81x
Trowbridge 13 73.61x
Kingstanley 12 366.97x
Lambeth 11 2.79x
Bromham 10 555.56x
Bristol Temple 9 154.37x
Frome 9 51.75x
Norwood 9 87.12x
Otford 9 418.60x
Walcot 9 23.24x
Alverstoke 8 23.87x
Laycock 8 441.99x
Truro St Mary 8 186.05x
Devizes St James 7 131.83x
Great Harwood 7 72.24x
Lyncombe Widcombe 7 36.78x
Portsea 7 3.86x
Bristol St Paul In 6 25.42x
Newport 6 38.51x
Nottingham St Mary 6 3.81x
Poplar London 6 7.04x
Southampton St Mary 6 10.31x
Chorlton On Medlock 5 5.87x
Clifton 5 11.17x
Fulham London 5 7.63x
Gravesend 5 38.31x
Hammersmith London 5 4.49x
Islington London 5 1.14x
Tonbridge 5 9.00x
Avening 4 127.80x
Caversham 4 71.68x
Chelsea London 4 2.94x
Clerkenwell London 4 3.75x
Rowde 4 217.39x
Winterbourne Monkton 4 1176.47x
Aldershot 3 9.67x
Betchworth 3 110.70x
Bishops Cannings 3 202.70x
Castle Combe 3 389.61x
Chippenham 3 35.80x
Curdworth 3 288.46x
Devizes St John 3 100.00x
Millbrook 3 12.86x
St George Hanover 3 5.09x
Barnsley 2 4.33x
Bristol St James In 2 15.35x
Bristol St James St Paul 2 6.77x
Bristol St Thomas 2 198.02x
Chisledon 2 109.89x
Kensington London 2 0.80x
Lofthouse Cum Carlton 2 36.70x
Mangotsfield 2 22.65x
Swindon 2 6.46x
Tormarton 2 303.03x
Westbury On Trym 2 6.66x
Westminster St 2 12.01x
Aston 1 0.32x
Bath St Peter St Paul 1 31.15x
Bathwick 1 12.42x
Chard 1 11.35x
Christchurch 1 4.98x
Cirencester 1 8.34x
Edington 1 69.44x
Gateshead 1 0.99x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 1 1.72x
Hilperton 1 78.74x
Northwood 1 7.59x
Reigate Foreign 1 4.20x
Rodborough 1 23.36x
Saltford 1 147.06x
Waterperry 1 384.62x
Wells St Cuthbert Out 1 17.09x
Winkfield With Rowley 1 178.57x
York St Margaret 1 35.97x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Knee surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 30
Elizabeth 19
Sarah 18
Jane 12
Alice 11
Ellen 10
Annie 7
Emily 7
Eliza 6
Martha 5
Ann 4
Caroline 4
Emma 4
Esther 4
Fanny 4
Ruth 4
Ada 3
Agnes 3
Bertha 3
Edith 3
Susan 3
Amy 2
Bessie 2
Carlinoe 2
Charlotte 2
Clara 2
Elizth. 2
Florence 2
Hannah 2
Jemima 2
Jessie 2
Kate 2
Laura 2
Matilda 2
Albert 1
Aynota 1
Beatrice 1
Catherine 1
Dinah 1
Elizbeth 1
Elizth 1
Elizth.A. 1
Flora 1
Francis 1
Georgeina 1
Gertrude 1
Harriet 1
Hettalanda 1
Janie 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Knee surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 33
James 20
George 15
John 13
Henry 12
Thomas 12
Walter 11
Charles 10
Edward 9
Albert 8
Joseph 8
Alfred 7
Arthur 6
Frederick 6
Richard 6
Frank 4
Mark 3
Samuel 3
Edwin 2
Eli 2
Fred 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Percy 2
Philip 2
Simon 2
Dennis 1
Enoch 1
Ewin 1
Francis 1
Fredc.Hy. 1
Fredrick 1
Fredrk. 1
Henery 1
Hiram 1
Isaac 1
Jas. 1
Jesse 1
Job 1
Malcolm 1
Martin 1
Monoah 1
Moses 1
Robert 1
Robertr 1
Sidney 1
Stephen 1
Thos. 1
W.J. 1
Wm.Geo. 1

FAQ

Knee surname: questions and answers

How common was the Knee surname in 1881?

In 1881, 464 people were recorded with the Knee surname. That placed it at #7,157 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Knee surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 528 in 2016. That gives Knee a modern rank of #9,603.

What does the Knee surname mean?

A surname of English origin referring to someone with a prominent or deformed knee.

What does the Knee map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Knee bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.