Find out how popular the last name Dwight is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dwight.

Dwight, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dwight surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dwight in America

Dwight is the 14312th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dwight surname appeared 2,091 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dwight.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dwight to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dwight

The surname Dwight originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "deor" meaning "deer" and "wiht" meaning "creature" or "island". The name likely referred to someone who lived near an island or area inhabited by deer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Duiet in Berkshire. Other early spellings include Duit, Duiet, and Duyte. The name was concentrated in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire in southern England during the Middle Ages.

A notable early bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Dwight (c. 1360-1428), a knight and landowner in Buckinghamshire. Another was Sir Robert Dwight (c. 1490-1552), a Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the Dwight family established themselves in Oxfordshire, where they became prominent landowners and clergymen. One member, Josiah Dwight (1572-1639), was a Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in 1635, becoming one of the founders of Dedham, Massachusetts.

Other notable individuals with the surname Dwight include:

1. Timothy Dwight (1752-1817), an American minister, educator, and president of Yale University.
2. Theodore Dwight (1796-1866), an American educator and lawyer who served as the Secretary of the Hartford Convention.
3. John Dwight (1859-1928), an American businessman and co-founder of the Dwight Manufacturing Company.
4. Edmund Dwight (1835-1920), an American industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Dwight Schools in New York City.
5. Harry Dwight (1882-1957), an American actor and director known for his work in silent films.

While the name's popularity has waned in recent times, the Dwight surname remains a part of English and American history, reflecting its Anglo-Saxon origins and the notable individuals who carried it over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dwight

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dwight.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dwight was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dwight has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dwight was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dwight, please contact us.

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