Meaning: Learning; understanding; wisdom; from Middle English knowleche (understanding, comprehension)High
In 30 seconds: An English concept name meaning 'learning' and 'understanding,' from Middle English knowleche. One of the most intellectually aspirational names in the American catalog — naming a child for the pursuit of wisdom itself.
MeaningLearning; understanding; wisdom; from Middle English knowleche (understanding, comprehension)
U.S. rank (2024)#1141 ↘ Falling
2024 U.S. births184 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2020
Total births (all-time)≈ 2,222
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
History & Origin
Knowledge is an English concept name from Middle English knowleche (understanding, wisdom). As a given name it belongs to the American tradition of abstract virtue naming. The Five Percenter/NGE community's use of Knowledge as a concept may have influenced its adoption as a given name.
Knowledge ranked #1141 for boys in 2024.
Did you know? The Five Percenters (Nation of Gods and Earths), a movement that emerged from the Nation of Islam in New York in the 1960s, place 'Knowledge' as the first of their Supreme Mathematics — a system where Knowledge (1) precedes Wisdom (2) and Understanding (3). This tradition may explain the name's presence in some communities.
Overall data confidence 96%
U.S. Social Security Administration — popularity data
Variations
Know
Nicknames
Know
Famous Bearers
Famous bearers coming soon.
If you like Knowledge…
Wisdom— abstract virtue name in the same intellectual tradition
Truth— virtue concept name in the same direct-word naming tradition
Justice— virtue concept name in the same aspirational category
Legend— concept name for lasting knowledge/fame in the same tradition
Genesis— biblical concept word-name in the same abstract-virtue space
Frequently Asked
What does the name Knowledge mean?
Knowledge means 'learning,' 'understanding,' and 'wisdom,' from Middle English knowleche.
How do you pronounce Knowledge?
It's said NOL-ij — two syllables, stress on the first. The silent K is unusual.
