Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Hard Snoute (sic) 1624 Greave

• Hardknowte 1699 WCR2d

• Hardknot 1675 Soy 1699 WCR2d 1709 WMB

• Hardknout 1693 Soy

Etymology

Hard Knot, Hard Snoute (sic)1624 Greave, Hardknowte 1699WCR 2d, Hardknot 1675 Soy, 1699WCR 2d, 1709 WMB, Hardknout 1693 Soy.'Hard rocky hill', v. heard , knútr (which occurs in some other YW p.ns. in Craven, and in the parallel name Hard Knott Cu 343); knútr generally falls in with cnotta , knǫttr as modern Knot in p.ns.The earliest spelling, if not an error for -Cnoute , is from ME  snūte 'snout', used figuratively of a headland resembling a snout.