2000
#6,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,446
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.65
Rare Last name
Kight
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wooden casks, tubs, or barrels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,052 Americans carry the last name Kight. That puts it at #7,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,845 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kight surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kight with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,845
Census rank
#7,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,406 bearers of the surname Kight in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kight, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kight
The surname Kight has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cnihte," which means "servant" or "attendant." This term was commonly used to refer to young men who served in aristocratic households or as military attendants.
In the early medieval period, the name Kight was typically associated with individuals who held positions of service or worked as household attendants for noble families. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval records and documents, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from the late 13th century.
The surname Kight has undergone several spelling variations over the centuries, with alternative forms including Knighte, Knight, and Knyght. These variations were influenced by regional dialects and scribal conventions of the time.
One notable historical reference to the name Kight can be found in the Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This document mentions individuals with the surname Knight, which was likely an early spelling variant of Kight.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kight was John Kight, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Another early record is that of Walter Kight, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Gloucestershire in 1384.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Kight. One such figure was Thomas Kight (c. 1550-1622), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Carlisle from 1619 until his death. Another prominent individual was Sir William Kight (1586-1652), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, John Kight (1724-1796) was a successful merchant and landowner in Virginia, USA, who played a significant role in the economic development of the colony. Another notable figure was Sarah Kight (1796-1876), an American folk artist and painter known for her intricate embroidery and needlework.
One of the most renowned individuals with the surname Kight was Sir Richard Kight (1826-1902), a British military officer and engineer who made significant contributions to the development of railways and infrastructure in India during the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kight
Among Census respondents with the surname Kight, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kight bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kight surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 3,730
- Black or African American7.7% · 339
- Two or more races4.1% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kight
Kight appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,992
+546 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Up 203 places
2020
#7,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,406
-586 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 543 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,956 | 4,446 | 1.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,753 | 4,992 | 1.69 | +546 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 203 places |
| 2020 | #7,296 | 4,406 | 1.47 | -586 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 543 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kight surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,753 | #7,296 | -8.0% |
| Count | 4,992 | 4,406 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.47 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kight bearers went from 4,992 to 4,406 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 543 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,753 to #7,296.
FAQ
Kight surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kight?
Name Census estimates that about 5,052 living Americans carry the surname Kight. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,845 residents.
How common is Kight?
Kight ranks #7,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,406 people with the surname Kight. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,052), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kight.
Has Kight become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kight went from 4,992 recorded bearers to 4,406. That is a decrease of 586 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,753 to #7,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Kight?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kight, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kight in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (3,730 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kight appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (7.7%), Two or More Races (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kight (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kight mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wooden casks, tubs, or barrels. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kight (1.47 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Kight?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Kight at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.