NameCensus.

UK surname

Wight

An Old English surname referring to a person from the Isle of Wight or a brave warrior.

In the 1881 census there were 1,538 people recorded with the Wight surname, ranking it #2,732 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,749, ranked #3,587, down from #2,732 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Gateshead, Edinburgh and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Dunecht, Durris and Drumoak, Biggar, Symington, Thankerton and Dolphinton and Cheviot East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Wight is 1,803 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 13.7%.

1881 census count

1,538

Ranked #2,732

Modern count

1,749

2016, ranked #3,587

Peak year

1891

1,803 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Wight had 1,538 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,732 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,749 in 2016, ranked #3,587.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,803 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Wight surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Wight surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Wight 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 1,356 #2,118
1861 historical 1,583 #1,801
1881 historical 1,538 #2,732
1891 historical 1,803 #2,546
1901 historical 1,673 #3,083
1911 historical 664 #6,331
1997 modern 1,590 #3,716
1998 modern 1,675 #3,679
1999 modern 1,685 #3,685
2000 modern 1,706 #3,631
2001 modern 1,656 #3,654
2002 modern 1,719 #3,622
2003 modern 1,678 #3,620
2004 modern 1,690 #3,599
2005 modern 1,674 #3,591
2006 modern 1,637 #3,668
2007 modern 1,678 #3,617
2008 modern 1,688 #3,620
2009 modern 1,726 #3,616
2010 modern 1,750 #3,649
2011 modern 1,720 #3,660
2012 modern 1,735 #3,580
2013 modern 1,744 #3,623
2014 modern 1,758 #3,607
2015 modern 1,754 #3,594
2016 modern 1,749 #3,587

Geography

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Where Wights are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Gateshead, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Yester and Jedburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Dunecht, Durris and Drumoak, Biggar, Symington, Thankerton and Dolphinton, Cheviot East, Clydesdale South and Leven East. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Gateshead Durham
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Yester Haddington
5 Jedburgh Roxburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Dunecht, Durris and Drumoak Aberdeenshire
2 Biggar, Symington, Thankerton and Dolphinton South Lanarkshire
3 Cheviot East Scottish Borders
4 Clydesdale South South Lanarkshire
5 Leven East Fife

Forenames

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First names often paired with Wight

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Wight

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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Wight surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Wight household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Wight is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Wight is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Wight 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 Wight 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 Wight, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of 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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Wight families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Wight 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. Midlothian leads with 279 Wights recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.85x.

County Total Index
Midlothian 279 13.85x
Roxburghshire 146 53.62x
Northumberland 128 5.72x
Aberdeenshire 122 8.76x
Lanarkshire 112 2.30x
East Lothian 86 43.19x
Middlesex 74 0.49x
Berwickshire 55 30.21x
Ayrshire 52 4.62x
Durham 49 1.10x
Surrey 49 0.67x
Yorkshire 39 0.26x
Lancashire 30 0.17x
Selkirkshire 29 21.32x
West Lothian 29 12.81x
Renfrewshire 22 1.89x
Essex 19 0.64x
Morayshire 18 7.71x
Staffordshire 17 0.34x
Warwickshire 17 0.45x
Perthshire 14 2.08x
Gloucestershire 13 0.44x
Banffshire 11 3.53x
Dumfriesshire 10 3.01x
Fife 10 1.12x
Devon 9 0.29x
Kent 8 0.16x
Isle of Man 7 2.51x
Somerset 7 0.29x
Bedfordshire 6 0.77x
Hampshire 6 0.19x
Angus 5 0.36x
Glamorgan 5 0.19x
Worcestershire 5 0.25x
Argyllshire 4 0.96x
Berkshire 4 0.35x
Derbyshire 4 0.17x
Herefordshire 4 0.65x
Merionethshire 4 1.45x
Norfolk 4 0.17x
Sussex 4 0.16x
Cheshire 3 0.09x
Cornwall 3 0.18x
Peeblesshire 3 4.24x
Cumberland 2 0.15x
Monmouthshire 2 0.18x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.10x
Anglesey 1 0.38x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.11x
Cambridgeshire 1 0.11x
Channel Islands 1 0.22x
Clackmannanshire 1 0.81x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.25x
Kincardineshire 1 0.55x
Nairnshire 1 2.18x
Northamptonshire 1 0.07x
Royal Navy 1 0.56x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 89 Wights recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.99x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 89 10.99x
Jedburgh 57 213.56x
South Leith 45 19.86x
Crawford 28 308.71x
Kelso 22 81.09x
Barony 20 1.63x
Dalkeith 20 50.34x
Fyvie 20 88.03x
Govan 19 1.58x
Hawick 19 31.18x
Lambeth 19 1.45x
Forgue 18 144.00x
Bishopwearmouth 17 4.43x
Gateshead 17 5.08x
Selkirk 17 44.37x
Dalmellington 16 48.37x
Tranent 16 59.48x
West Ham 15 2.29x
Birmingham 14 1.11x
Islington London 14 0.96x
Linlithgow 14 48.23x
Longbenton 14 14.78x
Mason 14 273.97x
Aberdeen Old Machar 13 4.47x
Glasgow 13 1.51x
Auchterless 12 108.60x
Edinburgh St Georges 12 28.72x
Colinton 11 48.98x
Corstorphine 11 99.01x
Crailing 11 334.35x
Kilmarnock 11 8.22x
East Greenock 10 9.09x
Edinburgh Old Church 10 61.84x
Melrose 10 42.48x
Rathven 10 17.07x
Tweedmouth 10 35.87x
Berwick North 9 64.56x
Berwick Upon Tweed 9 18.99x
Cheltenham 9 3.96x
Egham 9 20.01x
Innerwick 9 225.00x
Yester 9 187.89x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 8 3.07x
Barrow In Furness 8 3.30x
Coldstream 8 60.74x
Dalmeny 8 92.49x
Easington 8 1025.64x
Kemnay 8 94.79x
Kensington London 8 0.96x
Morpeth 8 30.42x
New Deer 8 31.75x
North Leith 8 8.58x
Prestonkirk 8 80.32x
Rayne 8 121.03x
Tough 8 227.27x
Tynemouth 8 6.68x
Buckden 7 457.52x
Edinburgh St Stephens 7 17.66x
Leeds 7 0.83x
New Spynie 7 83.23x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 7 5.24x
Oldhamstocks 7 239.73x
Port Glasgow 7 12.43x
St George Martyr 7 27.62x
West Calder 7 17.64x
Broughton In Salford 6 3.68x
Cambusnethan 6 5.56x
Cockburnspath 6 103.09x
Compton 6 288.46x
Dunbar 6 21.50x
Hutton 6 120.24x
Jesmond 6 19.07x
Lauder 6 59.64x
Old Cumnock 6 23.95x
Old Monkland 6 3.11x
St Quivox 6 15.77x
Tettenhall 6 19.34x
Uphall 6 24.11x
Wallsend 6 8.46x
Willesden 6 4.23x

Top female names

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

Name Count
William 36
George 26
John 26
James 20
Thomas 18
Henry 12
Robert 11
Charles 6
Edward 6
Joseph 6
Alexander 4
Alfred 4
Frederick 4
Walter 4
Edwin 3
Ernest 3
Frank 3
Fredrick 3
Horace 3
Robt. 3
Samuel 3
Arthur 2
Catheart 2
Norman 2
Richard 2
Thos. 2
Willm. 2
Andrew 1
David 1
Edgar 1
G. 1
Granville 1
Harris 1
Herbert 1
Holyoak 1
Hubert 1
Hyman 1
J.H. 1
Jabez 1
Julian 1
Leslie 1
Llewellyn 1
Martin 1
Max 1
Michael 1
Oliver 1
Peter 1
Reginald 1
Robart 1
Wm.Henry 1

FAQ

Wight surname: questions and answers

How common was the Wight surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,538 people were recorded with the Wight surname. That placed it at #2,732 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Wight surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,749 in 2016. That gives Wight a modern rank of #3,587.

What does the Wight surname mean?

An Old English surname referring to a person from the Isle of Wight or a brave warrior.

What does the Wight map show?

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