MacKnight Surname

244,515th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 1,629 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Scotland

MacKnight Surname Definition:

A variant of Macnaught which see. Jonet Maknacht held the lands of Berskeauch before 1531 (ER., XIV, p. 484), and Gilbert M'Nacht appears as witness in the parish of Partoun, Kirkcudbrightshire, 1541 (Anderson). Jonet Mackneicht who held a charter of Kilquhvndry, Kirkcudbright, 1546 (ALHT.

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MacKnight Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States8391:432,01337,252
Canada2831:130,19613,551
England1551:359,47125,733
Australia1291:209,26920,284
Brazil771:2,780,18682,572
Scotland431:124,5077,876
Ireland251:188,3587,886
Argentina241:1,780,97692,783
New Zealand151:301,88825,890
Malawi91:1,902,12319,532
South Africa81:6,772,213167,054
India61:127,844,230863,365
Greece41:2,769,948101,568
Trinidad and Tobago31:454,65814,297
China21:683,660,78330,601
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Singapore11:5,507,70347,049
Spain11:46,752,036156,870
United Arab Emirates11:9,162,273135,437
Uruguay11:3,431,75838,295
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland151:295,32411,912
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States341:1,477,02079,266

MacKnight (16) may also be a first name.

MacKnight Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

A variant of Macnaught which see. Jonet Maknacht held the lands of Berskeauch before 1531 (ER., XIV, p. 484), and Gilbert M'Nacht appears as witness in the parish of Partoun, Kirkcudbrightshire, 1541 (Anderson). Jonet Mackneicht who held a charter of Kilquhvndry, Kirkcudbright, 1546 (ALHT., VIII, p. 200), may be the Jonet above mentioned. John McNeight was charged with being a disorderly person (i.e. non-oon-formist) in the parish of Kirkmabreck, 1684, James Machnight is in the parish of Cross-Michael, and William MacNaight, parish of Borgue, in same year (RPC., 3. ser. X, p. 567,573, 582). Alexander M'Naight at the new milns, 1743 (Wigtown). The Macknights of Ayrshire and Galloway are said to be a branch of the Macnaughts of Carrick. McKnicht 1585, McKnaicht 1637, Makknacht 1535, M'Knaycht 1641. In 1684 (Parish): McKnaight, McKnaught, McNaight, and McNeight.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

Knight is a purely English name and is not common in Ireland. It may occasionally be used as an abbreviation of MacKnight, which is an Irish name, though not Gaelic in origin. MacKnight is a translation of the Irish words mac an Ridire meaning son of the knight, an Irish surname adopted by a branch of the Norman family of Fitzsimons, which was located in Co. Meath in mediaeval times. This name in English cannot be distinguished from the Scottish MacKnight which is in Gaelic Mac Neachtain, more usually anglicized MacNaughton. The fact that of 39 births recorded for MacKnights in the last available annual return 31 were in Ulster (mostly Antrim) suggests that the majority of our MacKnights are of Scottish origin. In the same year the number of Knight births recorded was 13, with no more than 4 in any one province.

No person called Knight has particularly distinguished himself in any sphere of Irish history. James MacKnight (1801-1876), a friend of Charels Gavan Duffy, was prominent in the fight for Irish tenant right.

Supplement to Irish Families (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

If of Irish origin this is Mac an Ridire (ridire — knight). MacKnight if Scottish is Mac Neachtain.

Knight is a common English name. SIF 100

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(Celtic) = Mac Naught, q.v. (Anglo-Celt.) Son of the Knight: v. Knight.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(Irish) The son of the knight.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

MACKNYGHTE: From Knowles's Genealogy of Coulthart (privately printed 1855) this seems to be a local name. It is stated that the Macknyghtes of that Ilk, in the regality of Galloway, possessed the lands of Macknyghte from the time of Uchtred de Macknyghte, A.D. 1114, to 1408, when an heiress conveyed the estate to the family of Boss.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

MacKnight Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name MacKnight Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname MacKnight has its highest incidence in The United States. It may also appear as:. For other possible spellings of this name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name MacKnight? popularity and diffusion

It is the 244,515th most prevalent surname in the world, held by approximately 1 in 4,473,632 people. It is mostly found in The Americas, where 75 percent of MacKnight live; 68 percent live in North America and 68 percent live in Anglo-North America. It is also the 2,786,762nd most common forename in the world, held by 16 people.

It is most widely held in The United States, where it is carried by 839 people, or 1 in 432,013. In The United States it is mostly found in: California, where 13 percent are found, New York, where 8 percent are found and Ohio, where 8 percent are found. Excluding The United States MacKnight is found in 21 countries. It is also found in Canada, where 17 percent are found and England, where 10 percent are found.

MacKnight Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of MacKnight has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the MacKnight surname grew 2,468 percent between 1880 and 2014 and in Ireland it grew 167 percent between 1901 and 2014.

MacKnight Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those holding the last name is chiefly Presbyterian (100%) in Ireland.

In The United States those holding the MacKnight last name are 16.72% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 63.49% being registered to vote for the political party.

The amount MacKnight earn in different countries varies marginally. In United States they earn 19.48% more than the national average, earning $51,556 USD per year and in Canada they earn 15.15% more than the national average, earning $57,209 CAD per year.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to MacKnight
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis