NameCensus.

UK surname

Dwight

From the Old English words "dwig" and "hiht," meaning "strong" and "brave," respectively, indicating a valiant individual.

In the 1881 census there were 287 people recorded with the Dwight surname, ranking it #10,014 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 311, ranked #14,376, down from #10,014 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Hayes, London parishes and Wigginton. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Chiltern, North Devon and South Staffordshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Dwight is 419 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 8.4%.

1881 census count

287

Ranked #10,014

Modern count

311

2016, ranked #14,376

Peak year

1911

419 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Dwight had 287 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,014 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 311 in 2016, ranked #14,376.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 419 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Dwight surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Dwight surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Dwight 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 185 #11,077
1861 historical 160 #14,468
1881 historical 287 #10,014
1891 historical 331 #10,277
1901 historical 343 #10,583
1911 historical 419 #8,985
1997 modern 335 #12,575
1998 modern 358 #12,349
1999 modern 364 #12,267
2000 modern 371 #12,052
2001 modern 347 #12,449
2002 modern 362 #12,318
2003 modern 350 #12,417
2004 modern 344 #12,597
2005 modern 328 #12,992
2006 modern 326 #13,128
2007 modern 318 #13,503
2008 modern 310 #13,834
2009 modern 315 #13,960
2010 modern 317 #14,166
2011 modern 313 #14,200
2012 modern 318 #13,926
2013 modern 323 #14,003
2014 modern 324 #14,058
2015 modern 314 #14,275
2016 modern 311 #14,376

Geography

Back to top

Where Dwights are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Hayes, London parishes, Wigginton, Chesham (incl. Chartridge, Billington & Latimers with Waterside and North Church or Berkhamstead St Mary. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Chiltern, North Devon, South Staffordshire and Stroud. 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 Hayes Middlesex (Exclusive Of London Districts)
2 London parishes London 1
3 Wigginton Hertfordshire
4 Chesham (incl. Chartridge, Billington & Latimers with Waterside Buckinghamshire
5 North Church or Berkhamstead St Mary Hertfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Chiltern 002 Chiltern
2 North Devon 005 North Devon
3 Chiltern 001 Chiltern
4 South Staffordshire 001 South Staffordshire
5 Stroud 003 Stroud

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Dwight

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Dwight

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Dwight, 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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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, Dwight 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

Dwight is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Dwight falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Dwight 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 Dwight, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of 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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Dwight families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Dwight 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. Buckinghamshire leads with 96 Dwights recorded in 1881 and an index of 56.72x.

County Total Index
Buckinghamshire 96 56.72x
Middlesex 64 2.29x
Hertfordshire 50 25.91x
Surrey 25 1.83x
Staffordshire 10 1.06x
Warwickshire 10 1.42x
Yorkshire 10 0.36x
Cheshire 6 0.97x
Essex 4 0.72x
Hampshire 4 0.70x
Midlothian 2 0.53x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.53x
Devon 1 0.17x
Merionethshire 1 1.95x
Monmouthshire 1 0.49x
Oxfordshire 1 0.58x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Chesham in Buckinghamshire leads with 69 Dwights recorded in 1881 and an index of 1105.77x.

Place Total Index
Chesham 69 1105.77x
Berkhampstead 19 437.79x
Northchurch 17 825.24x
Hackney London 14 8.92x
Mile End Old Town London 13 21.82x
Cholesbury 11 12222.22x
Wigginton 10 1470.59x
Kensington London 9 5.78x
Trysull 9 1636.36x
Aston 8 4.12x
Camberwell 8 4.47x
Norwood 6 93.75x
Paddington London 6 5.83x
Pudsey 6 40.46x
Putney 6 47.02x
Whitchurch 6 869.57x
East Molesey 5 158.23x
Hartford 5 357.14x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 4 15.48x
Hawridge 4 1739.13x
Sutton 4 40.53x
Feltham 3 107.14x
Great Gaddesden 3 333.33x
Great Missenden 3 143.54x
Hampstead London 3 6.88x
Holdenhurst 3 19.93x
Birmingham 2 0.85x
Croydon 2 2.64x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 1.33x
Islington London 2 0.74x
Lewknor Up Hill 2 1052.63x
Leyton 2 21.01x
Nottingham St Mary 2 2.05x
St Pancras London 2 0.89x
Willesden 2 7.58x
Aldbury 1 114.94x
Brading 1 13.11x
Chelsea London 1 1.19x
Chester St Mary On Hill 1 18.87x
East Ham 1 9.75x
Fulham London 1 2.46x
Iver 1 45.87x
Llanycil 1 36.36x
Newport 1 10.36x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 1 48.78x
Shoreditch London 1 0.82x
St Botolph Aldgate London 1 17.33x
Topsham 1 36.36x
West Ham 1 0.82x
Wolverhampton 1 1.38x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 21
George 12
James 11
Arthur 7
John 7
Frederick 6
Albert 5
Alfred 4
Charles 4
Henry 4
Fredrick 3
Jesse 3
Joseph 3
Matthew 3
Thomas 3
Daniel 2
David 2
Edward 2
Ernest 2
Fredk. 2
Richard 2
Robert 2
Stephen 2
Albion 1
Berkam 1
Edwin 1
Eugen 1
Frank 1
Fred. 1
Fredric 1
Gale 1
H.W. 1
Harry 1
Herbert 1
Hies 1
Horace 1
Humphrey 1
Humphry 1
Josias 1
Philip 1
R. 1
Reuben 1
Walter 1

FAQ

Dwight surname: questions and answers

How common was the Dwight surname in 1881?

In 1881, 287 people were recorded with the Dwight surname. That placed it at #10,014 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Dwight surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 311 in 2016. That gives Dwight a modern rank of #14,376.

What does the Dwight surname mean?

From the Old English words "dwig" and "hiht," meaning "strong" and "brave," respectively, indicating a valiant individual.

What does the Dwight map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Dwight 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.