Show ContentsNottage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the Nottage name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived at the knot, the summit of a rocky hill, from the residence near that place.

Early Origins of the Nottage family

The surname Nottage was first found in Derbyshire where traditionally the name was descended from the Scandinavian King Canute, or Cnut.

Drayton sings "The Knot that called was Canutus, bird of old, of that great King of Danes, his name that still doth hold, his appetite to please that far and near was sought, for his, as some have said, from Denmark hither brought."

Cnut or Canute the Great (994?-1035), and by Scandinavian writers the Mighty and the Old, was king of the English, Danes, and Norwegians, and was the younger son of Sweyn, king of Denmark. 1

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. Randulfus filius Cnut was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Devon in 1191; Knot pater Alani and Alanus filius Knod were both listed in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1202; Radulfus filius Knut was found in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1203; Walter and Robert Cnot were in the Pipe Rolls for Suffolk in 1165 and were later Knights Templar in 1185 ; William Cnotte was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1206; William, John Knotte in the Assize Rolls for Worcestershire in 1221; and Stephen le Knotte was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listings for the family: Richard Knotte, London; and Peter Cnotte, Salop (Shropshire) while the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had the following: Robertus Knotte; Ricardus Notte; Isabella Notte; and Thomas Knot. 3

Up north in Scotland, "A ship of Knut the wealthy, citizen of Berwick, was carried off by Erlind, earl of Orkney, in 1156 (Orkneyinga Saga, Edinburgh, 1873, p. 161.) Hugo Cnot granted an annual-rent of two shillings to the Priory of Inchcolm, c. 1210-1229. The name also occurs in records of Coldingham Priory as Cnoyt. Richard Knut witnessed resignation of the lands of Langholm and Brakanwra, 1281. Adum Knout and John Knout were burgesses of Roxburgh, 1296, and rendered homage [to King Edward I of England] in that year. " 4

Early History of the Nottage family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nottage research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1582, 1606, 1621, 1622, 1626, 1629, 1632, 1633, 1641, 1656, 1681, 1708, 1724, 1729, 1730, 1734, 1763, 1777 and 1811 are included under the topic Early Nottage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nottage Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Nottage were recorded, including Cnot, Cnotte, Canute, Cnut, Knot, Knout, Knotte, Knott and many more.

Early Notables of the Nottage family

Distinguished members of the family include William Knott of Great Gonerby, Lincolnshire. Edward Knott (1582-1656), born with the name of Matthew Wilson, was an English Jesuit controversialist, twice provincial of the Society of Jesus in England. He was born at Catchburn, a township in the parish of Morpeth, Northumberland. During 1626 he was a missioner in the Suffolk district. He was apprehended in 1629, and was committed to the Clink prison in Southwark, but at the instance of the queen he...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nottage Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Nottage family to Ireland

Some of the Nottage family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 148 words (11 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Nottage migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Nottage family emigrate to North America:

Nottage Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Walter Sidney Nottage, aged 17, originally from Chantilly, who arrived in New York in 1900 aboard the ship "Saint Louis" from Southampton, England 5
  • Robert J. Nottage, aged 29, arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Mauretania" from Southampton, England 5
  • Thomas Nottage, aged 22, who arrived in New York, N.Y. in 1921 aboard the ship "North Pacific" from Three Rivers, Canada 5
  • Nathan Thomas Nottage, aged 22, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "North Pacific" from Hamburg, Germany 5

Canada Nottage migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Nottage Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Josiah Nottage, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Australia Nottage migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Nottage Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Nottage, (b. 1801), aged 39, American ploughman who was convicted in Kingston, Ontario, Canada for life for unlawful invasion, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 28th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), captured at the battle of Windmill in 1838 he died in 1840 after a blasting accident 6
  • James Maskell Nottage, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "City of London" in 1840 7
  • Thomas Nottage, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Ramillies" in 1849 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Nottage (post 1700) +

  • Dexter Alexander Nottage (b. 1970), former American football defensive end
  • Lynn Nottage (b. 1964), American playwright awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
  • Courtney Nottage, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Rules Committee, Democratic National Convention, 2008 9


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. 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)
  5. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CITY OF LONDON 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840CityOfLondon.gif
  8. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAMILIES 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Ramillies.htm
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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