2000
#980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.01
Uncommon Last name
Mcknight
A Scottish surname referring to a person who lived or worked at a knight's house or manor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,767 Americans carry the last name Mcknight. That puts it at #1,050 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcknight 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 Mcknight with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 9,075
Census rank
#1,050
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,935 bearers of the surname Mcknight in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1050th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcknight, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (33.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcknight
The surname McKnight is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son" and "naght" or "nacht," meaning "night." The name likely originated in the Scottish Highlands during the medieval period, indicating a person whose occupation involved working at night, such as a night watchman or a shepherd who tended to flocks at night.
The earliest recorded examples of the McKnight surname date back to the 16th century in Scottish records. One notable bearer of the name was John McKnight, who was born in Galloway, Scotland, in the late 16th century and served as a minister in the Church of Scotland.
In the 17th century, the McKnight surname appeared in various Scottish documents, including parish registers and legal records. One instance was the mention of Robert McKnight in the Regality of Dunfermline Court Book in 1642.
The McKnight surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir James McKnight (1675-1755), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1734 to 1737.
Another prominent figure was James McKnight (1738-1792), a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister who served as the first president of Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
In the 19th century, David McKnight (1820-1892) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Glasgow.
Another noteworthy bearer of the McKnight surname was Charles McKnight (1851-1923), an American politician who served as the 17th Governor of Oregon from 1911 to 1915.
The McKnight surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McKnightston in Ayrshire and McKnightburn in Lanarkshire, further solidifying its Scottish roots.
Overall, the surname McKnight has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands, with connections to occupations, notable individuals, and place names that span several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcknight
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcknight, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (33.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcknight 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 Mcknight surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.5% · 18,949
- Black or African American33.7% · 11,087
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,498
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,077
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 171
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 153
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcknight
Mcknight 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
#1,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,055
+1,669 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 11.54
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#1,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,935
-1,120 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 11.02
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #980 | 32,386 | 12.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,023 | 34,055 | 11.54 | +1,669 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #1,050 | 32,935 | 11.02 | -1,120 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 27 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 Mcknight 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 | #1,023 | #1,050 | -2.6% |
| Count | 34,055 | 32,935 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 11.54 | 11.02 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcknight bearers went from 34,055 to 32,935 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,023 to #1,050.
FAQ
Mcknight surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcknight?
Name Census estimates that about 37,767 living Americans carry the surname Mcknight. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,075 residents.
How common is Mcknight?
Mcknight ranks #1,050 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,935 people with the surname Mcknight. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,767), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Mcknight.
Has Mcknight become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcknight went from 34,055 recorded bearers to 32,935. That is a decrease of 1,120 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,023 to #1,050.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcknight?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcknight, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.5%. The next largest groups are Black (33.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mcknight in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.5% (18,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcknight appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.5%), Black (33.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Mcknight (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 Mcknight mean?
A Scottish surname referring to a person who lived or worked at a knight's house or manor. 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 Mcknight (11.02 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 Mcknight?
You can see how many people have the surname Mcknight on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.