NameCensus.

UK surname

Dight

A surname derived from the Old English word "dihtan," meaning to compose or arrange.

In the 1881 census there were 190 people recorded with the Dight surname, ranking it #13,270 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 186, ranked #20,575, down from #13,270 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Mynyddyslwyn, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Caerphilly, North Somerset and Gosport.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dight is 256 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has stayed broadly stable by 2.1%.

1881 census count

190

Ranked #13,270

Modern count

186

2016, ranked #20,575

Peak year

1911

256 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dight had 190 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #13,270 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 186 in 2016, ranked #20,575.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 256 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Dight surname distribution map

The map shows where the Dight surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Dight surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Dight over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 150 #12,905
1861 historical 138 #16,365
1881 historical 190 #13,270
1891 historical 224 #13,760
1901 historical 249 #13,172
1911 historical 256 #12,688
1997 modern 211 #17,048
1998 modern 216 #17,257
1999 modern 215 #17,425
2000 modern 204 #17,987
2001 modern 197 #18,108
2002 modern 200 #18,294
2003 modern 193 #18,501
2004 modern 190 #18,792
2005 modern 179 #19,467
2006 modern 169 #20,294
2007 modern 180 #19,745
2008 modern 184 #19,666
2009 modern 194 #19,398
2010 modern 196 #19,698
2011 modern 193 #19,729
2012 modern 190 #19,864
2013 modern 191 #20,124
2014 modern 191 #20,302
2015 modern 192 #20,138
2016 modern 186 #20,575

Geography

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Where Dights are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Mynyddyslwyn, Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Martock and St Giles Camberwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Caerphilly, North Somerset, Gosport and Taunton Deane. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Mynyddyslwyn Monmouthshire
2 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Martock Somerset
5 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Caerphilly 014 Caerphilly
2 North Somerset 021 North Somerset
3 North Somerset 020 North Somerset
4 Gosport 007 Gosport
5 Taunton Deane 004 Taunton Deane

Forenames

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First names often paired with Dight

These lists show first names that appear often with the Dight surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Dight

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dight, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Dight surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Dight household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Dight is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Dight is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dight falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dight is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Dight, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Dight

The surname Dight originated in England, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "dihtan," meaning "to compose or arrange." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked as a scribe, copyist, or composer of documents or literary works.

The name Dight can be traced to various regions across England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a record of a person named Rogerus Dight residing in Norfolk. Additionally, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301, where a person named Johannes Dight is mentioned.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dight can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk from 1230, which mention a person named William Dight. This suggests that the name had already established itself in various parts of England by the early 13th century.

Over the centuries, the surname Dight has been subject to various spelling variations, including Dight, Dighte, Dyte, and Dyte. These variations can be attributed to the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping practices during the medieval and early modern periods.

Notable individuals with the surname Dight throughout history include:

1. Thomas Dight (c. 1580 - 1630), an English playwright and poet who authored several works, including "The Cyprian Tragedy" and "The Glasse of Vaine-glory."

2. William Dight (1655 - 1701), an English merchant and colonist who settled in Virginia in the late 17th century and played a role in the establishment of the colony's tobacco trade.

3. Elizabeth Dight (1692 - 1772), an English Quaker minister and writer who published several religious works, including "A Testimony Concerning the Life and Latter End of Mary Pennington."

4. John Dight (1776 - 1854), an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. Mary Abbots in Kensington.

5. George Dight (1819 - 1901), an English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Dight Institute in Wigan, a technical school that provided education and training opportunities for working-class individuals.

These examples illustrate the historical presence and prominence of the surname Dight across various fields, including literature, commerce, religion, architecture, and philanthropy.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Dight families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dight surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Somerset leads with 53 Dights recorded in 1881 and an index of 17.58x.

County Total Index
Somerset 53 17.58x
Surrey 38 4.16x
Middlesex 31 1.66x
Gloucestershire 20 5.44x
Devon 10 2.57x
Kent 9 1.41x
Warwickshire 9 1.91x
Dorset 6 4.88x
Glamorgan 4 1.23x
Lancashire 3 0.14x
Derbyshire 2 0.68x
Monmouthshire 2 1.48x
Suffolk 2 0.88x
Pembrokeshire 1 1.68x
Royal Navy 1 4.48x
Staffordshire 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Camberwell in Surrey leads with 22 Dights recorded in 1881 and an index of 18.39x.

Place Total Index
Camberwell 22 18.39x
Martock 16 816.33x
Islington London 11 6.06x
Bridgewater 10 122.25x
Bristol St James St Paul 7 57.14x
Lambeth 7 4.29x
Taunton St Mary 7 126.58x
Abbotsbury 6 952.38x
Egg Buckland 6 895.52x
Streatham 6 43.17x
Aston 5 3.84x
Bradford 5 1666.67x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 5 14.46x
Clifton 5 26.93x
Paddington London 5 7.26x
Westminster St James 5 25.97x
Birmingham 4 2.54x
Llandaff 4 36.87x
St Marylebone London 4 4.00x
Trull 4 645.16x
Bermondsey 3 5.38x
Bristol St George 3 17.66x
Isle Abbotts 3 1363.64x
Kingsbury Episcopi 3 306.12x
Little Bolton 3 10.50x
Bury St Edmunds St James 2 32.84x
Exeter St Edmund 2 238.10x
Long Eaton 2 51.68x
Newport 2 30.96x
St Clement Danes London 2 51.55x
St George In East London 2 11.35x
St Peters 2 67.57x
Woolwich 2 8.47x
Axminster 1 54.64x
Bromley 1 10.27x
Deptford St Paul 1 2.03x
Devonport 1 22.32x
Durston 1 714.29x
Folkestone 1 8.06x
Gillingham 1 7.59x
Harborne 1 4.94x
Hornsey 1 4.22x
Ilminster 1 47.39x
Pembroke St Mary 1 13.05x
Royal Navy 1 5.24x
Teddington London 1 23.58x
Tonbridge 1 4.34x
Wellington 1 24.45x
West Buckland 1 172.41x
Weston Super Mare 1 13.14x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Dight surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 10
Alice 5
Eliza 5
Elizabeth 5
Emma 4
Annie 3
Ellen 3
Emily 3
Florence 3
Ann 2
Anna 2
Bessie 2
Betsy 2
Caroline 2
Charlotte 2
Henrietta 2
Jane 2
Kate 2
Martha 2
Sarah 2
Susan 2
Amey 1
Amy 1
Angelina 1
ELIZH. 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Elizth.Jane 1
Emely 1
Esther 1
Ethel 1
Eveline 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Hannah 1
Helen 1
Hester 1
Ida 1
Isabella 1
Lavinia 1
Lena 1
Lillie 1
Louisa 1
Maud 1
Millicent 1
Mily 1
Norah 1
Olivia 1
Polly 1
Rebecca 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Dight surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Henry 10
John 10
William 10
Charles 6
Edward 6
Thomas 5
Walter 5
Alfred 4
Frederick 4
James 4
David 3
George 3
Arthur 2
Mark 2
Phineas 2
Samuel 2
Albert 1
Edwd. 1
Edwin 1
Esau 1
Frank 1
Herbert 1
Joseph 1
Louis 1
Robert 1
Romano 1
Timothy 1

FAQ

Dight surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dight surname in 1881?

In 1881, 190 people were recorded with the Dight surname. That placed it at #13,270 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dight surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 186 in 2016. That gives Dight a modern rank of #20,575.

What does the Dight surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English word "dihtan," meaning to compose or arrange.

What does the Dight map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dight bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.