Origins of the Knight surname

What does the name Knight mean?

The origin of the Knight surname is English. It derives from the Middle English 'kniht' and the Anglo-Saxon 'cniht'. Knight is an occupational surname but may not always be applied to those who are have been given a knighthood and their descendants. It is equally likely to apply to a man-at-arms or other form of military follower, and in some cases even a servant or retainer.

Alternative variations of the name Knight

Knight, Knights, Night, Nights, Nite

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Delve deeper into the Knight family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 565North West 772Isle of Man 33Yorkshire 1990East Midlands 1271West Midlands 2209East 2911London 8648South East 5477South West 1380South Wales 675Mid Wales 42West WalesNorth Wales 59Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Knights lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

50,000 Knight Travel & migration records
370,000 Knights found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Knight

How common is your surname?

80th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Knight surname. The oldest one dates back to 1100.

Who were Knights most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Knights.

What are the most common Knight first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Knight family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Knights

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Knights in 1921

Dressmaker

1,683

Laundress

1,315

Domestic Servant

1,011

General Servant Domestic

988

General Servant

755

Common male occupations for Knights in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

2,281

General Labourer

1,461

Carpenter

1,346

Farm Labourer

1,163

Farmer

990

We found over 470,000 family trees with the Knight surname

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