Kight
An English surname likely representing a spelling variant of Kite, and possibly in some cases a form of Haite or Keyt.
The #6,753 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 61,848 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical evidence suggests Kight is not a single secure surname type, but a spelling variant found alongside forms such as Kite, Keyt, Keighte, and Kyte. Bardsley specifically groups Kight among Oxford Register spellings that are several variants of Kite, while another source notes it as a form of Haite. The safest reading is that the name is English in origin, with the exact root depending on the individual family line.
History
The surname appears in older English records in several spellings, reflecting the loose and variable spelling of medieval and early modern documents. Because the same written form could represent different local pronunciations, families called Kight may not share one common origin. The name survived in small numbers and is still found in the United States today.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In old record sets, Kight could sit next to several other spellings that look unrelated today, which is a good reminder that surname spelling was highly fluid before modern standardization.
From the historical record
“variants given in the Oxford Registers are : Kecte, Keighte, Keil, Ket, Keyt, Kight, Kighte, Kite, Kitte, and Kyle. Several of these are variants of Kite, q.v. Keats or K eates ta the genitive, as in Williams, Jones, &c.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances