| ![Show Contents]() Knut History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of KnutWhat does the name Knut mean? The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Knut came from Cnute, a popular name in England in the early Middle Ages. It was popular thanks to the influence of Cnut, a Dane, who became King of England in 1016. "There are two Cnuts in Domesday, one in Yorkshire, the other in Derbyshire." 1 Alternatively, it may be of nickname origin, from the Old English word hnutu, which meant brown, and would have been given to someone with a brown complexion. It may be that this is the origin of the English saying "Brown as a nut," used for someone who has spent a lot of time in the sun. Early Origins of the Knut familyThe surname Knut was first found in Gloucestershire 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 Knut familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Knut research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1576, 1577, 1600, 1605, 1612, 1620, 1623, 1640, 1653, 1656, 1660, 1668, 1716, 1722 and 1987 are included under the topic Early Knut History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Knut Spelling VariationsThe English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Knut has been recorded under many different variations, including Nutt, Nudd, Nutting, Knutt, Nuttman, Nutter and others. Early Notables of the Knut familyJohn Nutt (1605-1668), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1653; and John Nutt (fl. 1620-1623), English pirate born in Devon who raided the Newfoundland and western England for three years before his capture by Sir John Eliot in 1623. His arrest and conviction caused a scandal in the English court as Nutt had paid Eliot £500 in exchange for a pardon. He was eventually released by the Secretary of State George Calvert. He arrived at Torbay Newfoundland in 1620 aboard the ship Dartmouth in 1620, but soon organized a small crew with whom he...
Another 204 words (15 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Knut Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Knut family to IrelandSome of the Knut family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Knut migration to the United States | + |
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Knut or a variant listed above:
Knut Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Nicol Knut, who settled in America sometime between 1709 and 1710
- John Nichs Knut, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1748
- John Nichs Knut, aged 24, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 2
- Christian Knut, who settled in North America in 1779
Knut Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Franz Knut, who settled in Baltimore in 1889
- Antonia Knut, who settled in Baltimore in 1889
- Anton Knut, who settled in Baltimore in 1889
| Contemporary Notables of the name Knut (post 1700) | + |
- John Knut Chrispinsson (1956-2017), Swedish journalist, author and television presenter
- Knut Friedrich Alexander Abraham (b. 1966), German diplomat and politician
- Knut Leo Abrahamsen (b. 1962), Norwegian Nordic combined skier who competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics
- Knut Steen (1924-2011), Norwegian sculptor
- Knut Andreas Pettersen Agersborg (1765-1847), Norwegian politician
- Knut Borchardt (1929-2023), German researcher, historian and former professor for history and economics at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the University of Mannheim from 1962 to 1969
- Knut Utstein Kloster (1929-2020), Norwegian shipping magnate
- Knut Conrad Borge (1949-2017), Norwegian journalist and entertainer
- Knut Fleckenstein (b. 1953), German politician, MEP for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (2009-)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- 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)
 |
