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![Show Contents]() Kniess History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Scotland Ireland
The Dalriadan clans of ancient Scotland spawned the ancestors of the Kniess family. Their name comes from the personal name Naos, which is a dialectal form of Aonghus or Angus. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Neis, which is derived from the earlier form Mac Naois; both of these mean son of Angus. Thus, the name Kniess is a cognate of MacAngus and MacInnes. Early Origins of the Kniess familyThe surname Kniess was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects. Early History of the Kniess familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kniess research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1522 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Kniess History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Kniess Spelling VariationsThe medieval practice of spelling according to sound and repeated translation between Gaelic and English created many spelling variations of the same name. Kniess has been recorded as MacNeish, MacNeice, MacNish, MacNess, MacKness, MacNeece and many more. Early Notables of the Kniess familyMore information is included under the topic Early Kniess Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Kniess family to Ireland
Some of the Kniess family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Kniess migration to the United States | + |
Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Kniess, or a variant listed above:
Kniess Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Johan Christian Kniess, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 1
- Carl Kniess, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1794 1
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: Animo non astutia
Motto Translation: By courage, not by craft.
- 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)
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Kniess migration to the United States 
