Show ContentsKnave History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Knave family

The surname Knave was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire, where they held a family seat in the parish of Nevay, now called Essie. The name became interchangeably Nevay and Nevoy. The first on record was Adam of Neveth who perambulated (staked) his territories between the lands of the Abbey of Arbroath and Kinblemonth in 1219. 1

The Nave, Knave and Neave variants were interestingly found just over the border in Yorkshire, England where "the Yorkshire Poll Tax (1379) has many instances to prove its purely occupative character," as in "the knave", a lad, a servant including Johannes Jakkesknave; Nicholas Gaytknave; and Thomas Wyllknave. 2

Earlier forms of the name were also found in Wiltshire: Alwin Cnave in 1210 and later, Henry le Knave in the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire in 1271. Adam le Cnave was found in the the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327 and Richard Knave in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1357. 3

Early History of the Knave family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Knave research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1453, 1558, 1579, 1647, 1649, 1653, 1661 and 1683 are included under the topic Early Knave History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Knave Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Nevoy, Nevay, Nave, Navay, Navy, Neve and others.

Early Notables of the Knave family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir David Nevoy, Lord Reidie, afterwards Lord Nevoy (died 1683), a Scottish judge who was appointed lord of session and knighted in 1661. Nevoy was promoted to the bench, 25 June 1661, and retained his office for upwards of twenty-two years. Lord Hailes mentions he had been a Professor in St. Leonard's College, St. Andrews. He "was a regent at St. Leonard's College, St. Andrews, but was deposed in...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Knave Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Knave migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Knave Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jaed Knave, who arrived in Maryland in 1743 4


The Knave Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Marte et arte
Motto Translation: By valour and skill.


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook