Knox Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Knox Family History

Knox Family History

The family history of the ancient name Knox was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Knox include Nox, Knock and Nocks. This is a surname of local or territorial origin from the land called Knock in the barony of Renfrew in Scotland. This family trace their descent from Adam, son of Uchtred, who was granted lands at Knock in the thirteenth century. This name is usually of Scottish descent and is found in many ancient manuscripts in that country. Examples of such are John de Knoc who witnessed a charter of the lands of Ingliston in 1260. A William de Knoc witnessed a grant to the Abbey of Lennox in 1273.

Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. It was by the method of creating and updating these old reference books that they were able to maintain their authority and enforce laws.

In Ireland the name Knox and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers who arrived from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century. It is in Ulster as well as in Dublin that the majority of descendants can today be found.The Knox family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Knox descendants.