McKnight
A Scottish and Irish surname that can mean either “son of Knight” or a form related to Gaelic Mac an Ridire, “son of the knight.”
The #1,023 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,066 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained as a patronymic built on the word knight, with the Mac/Mc prefix meaning “son of.” In Irish sources, a related Gaelic form, Mac an Ridire, is given as the source of MacKnight, literally “son of the knight.” In practice, McKnight may therefore represent either an anglicized Gaelic surname or a surname formed directly from the occupational/title word knight.
History
The name is found in both Scottish and Irish contexts, and 19th- and early-20th-century surname dictionaries record it alongside spellings such as MacKnight, MacNeight, MacNay, MacNea, and related forms. In Scotland, bearers include the theologian James McKnight (1721–1800), while in Ireland the surname appears in county-group lists compiled by later onomastic writers. The spelling with Mc- is now common in the English-speaking world, especially in North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname references often list McKnight in the same neighborhood as MacNaughton and MacNeight, showing how closely these Gaelic and anglicized forms could overlap in spelling and pronunciation.
From the historical record
“sea) McNaught. Gael. McKnight McNeill. See Neale McPherson. Sons of the parson McPhin. Gael, (fair) McQuillan. See Wilson”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)