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

Wight, 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 Wight surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wight in America

Wight is the 6863rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wight surname appeared 4,904 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Wight.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wight 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 Wight

The surname WIGHT originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, deriving from the Old English word "wiht," meaning a living creature or a person. It was initially used as a descriptive name, referring to a person or family associated with a specific region or location known as "the Wight" or "the Isle of Wight."

The Isle of Wight, located off the southern coast of England, was a significant place during the Anglo-Saxon era, and many early records mention individuals with the surname WIGHT who were connected to this area. The earliest known reference to the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Wiht."

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname WIGHT was William Wight, who lived in Lincolnshire, England, in the 13th century. Another notable bearer of the name was John Wight, a wealthy merchant and landowner in Essex, England, who lived from 1520 to 1590.

In the 16th century, the name WIGHT was also associated with the town of Wight in Yorkshire, England. This connection is evident in the records of Thomas Wight, a landowner and prominent figure in the area, who lived from 1540 to 1612.

The surname WIGHT was not limited to England alone. In Scotland, there was a notable family of the name Wight that held lands in the Scottish Borders region. One of the most famous members of this family was Sir Alexander Wight (1590-1662), a Scottish military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War and the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

Another prominent individual with the surname WIGHT was Thomas Wight (1772-1853), a Scottish botanist and surgeon who made significant contributions to the study of Indian flora. He served as the Superintendent of the East India Company's Botanical Garden in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and published several works on Indian plants.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded bearers of the surname WIGHT was John Wight, who was born in England in 1596 and later emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638. He became a prominent figure in the colony and served as a deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts.

Over the centuries, the surname WIGHT has maintained its connection to the Isle of Wight and other places bearing similar names, such as the town of Wight in Yorkshire. While the name has evolved in spelling and pronunciation, its origins can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period, reflecting the linguistic and cultural heritage of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wight

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

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 Wight 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 Wight 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 Wight was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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