Knowles (/noʊlz/[1]) is an English surname of Old English origin.
This is a locality name meaning 'at the knoll,' a hill or summit, derived from Old English word cnolle or Middle English knol,[2] meaning hilltop and thus describes a person who lived at such a place.
It can also be an Anglicized version of the Irish name Ó Tnúthghail.
It literally means people of the tribe.