The Wight surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,904 people carried this name — #6,863 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 60,200 people counted. That is up 1% from 4,862 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Wight surname

Scottish and English surname, from the noun wight.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Wight» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the wight’.

An early record he cites: John le Wighte, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 812 · public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Wight was recorded 31 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 793rd most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 38. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

21 families named Wight, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 117 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maryland 6
Massachusetts 5
Vermont 2
Connecticut 2
Maine 1
New Hampshire 1
Rhode Island 1
New York 1
Pennsylvania 1
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 268 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Wight in American newspapers,
1878–1920.

Newspaper page from The Brownsville Daily Herald carrying the name Wight
The Brownsville Daily Herald 1908-09-15
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Wight
Daily Kennebec Journal 1920-04-10
Newspaper page from The Sun carrying the name Wight
The Sun 1878-08-19

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 4,721 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Wight in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

18,244 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wight. The most, 2,754, date from the 1950s. Queensland has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 4,885
Victoria 4,860
South Australia 4,794
New South Wales 2,366
Western Australia 937
Tasmania 248
ACT (Canberra) 121
Northern Territory 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wight.

Who carried it

People named Wight,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Robert Wight
    Robert Wight 1796–1872 · surgeon
  • Mary Brereton d. 1621
  • Edward Wight d. 1775
  • Thomas Wight 1501–1608 · draper
  • John Wight 1685–1782
  • Elnathan Wight 1715–1761

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Wight,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States585 records

585 records of the Wight name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 164
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 125
  • Other U.S. records 296
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Clifton M. Wight

    Born 1918 in New York. Enlisted 1944 at Albany; welder from Worcester County, Massachusetts. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Higgins Bay Cemetery, Piseco, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Ralph Chester Wight

    Born 1932; from Newtonville, Massachusetts. U.S. Army, tank maintenance & repair officer; killed in action 1968 in Bien Hoa, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Augusta Wight

    Arrived at New York in 1854 aboard the Malabar from Liverpool, aged 35; farm laborer. From Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 585 records for Wight in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia429 records

429 records of the Wight name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 176
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 134
  • Other Australian records 119
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Wight

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lady Nugent, sailing from London in 1836. Native of Worcestershire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Margaret Wight

    Arrived in Queensland in 1913 aboard the Limerick, aged 18.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Gordon Wight

    Enlisted in 1916 with the 39th Battalion. Honoured on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.

    City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU)

Showing 3 of 429 records for Wight in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

Netherlands127 records

127 records of the Wight name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 60
  • Dutch population registers 45
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 22
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Thomas Godfridus Ignatus Wight

    Married in 1849 in Bellingwolde; born 1822 in aan boord van korvet in de Chinese Zee. Died 1893 in Harderwijk, aged 70.

    Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jantje Wight

    Born 1885 in Epe. Married in 1925 in Uithuizen. Died 1949 in Groningen, aged 64.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Groninger Archieven (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Tammy Henriette Wight

    Born 1892 in Rotterdam. Married in 1919 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 127 records for Wight in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada126 records

126 records of the Wight name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 84
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 15
  • Other Canadian records 27
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Wight

    Came to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Himileya, landing at Quebec, bound for Kingston, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Roy Ernest Wight

    Buried in 1973 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 63.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Robert Donald Wight

    Died 1943 in Clarence, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 126 records for Wight in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom19 records

19 records of the Wight name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 8
  • Stirling Council burial records 8
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Wight

    Buried in 1935 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 55.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Stewart Balmain Wight

    Born 1898. Died 1917. Named in the University of Edinburgh roll of honour, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Wight

    Manchester Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Wight in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Wight name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Wight

    Buried in 1914 at Akaroa Anglican Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury, aged 79.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Wight.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Wight is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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