Who can see your post?
Your post will show up in News Feed, on your profile and in search results.233,756 Global KNIGHT Family Members
Days | Hours | Minutes | Seconds |
Sunday 10th November
2pm (New York), 7pm (Ire)
Days | Hours | Minutes | Seconds |
Sunday 10th November
2pm (New York), 7pm (Ire)
Our in-person family gatherings
Our TEDx talk about family gatherings
KNIGHT Family History
INTRODUCTION
This is a medieval status name from the Olde English pre 7th Century "criht", meaning boy, youth or serving lad, later extended to mean a tenant bound to serve his lord as a mounted soldier and therefore a man of some importance and substance. Later still, with the changes in the social structure of medieval England, the term "knight", (Middle English "knyghte") meant an honourable estate conferred by the king on men of noble birth who had served him well. The "Knights" of today, however, are far more likely to be descended from a servant in a knight's household or from someone who played the part of a knight in a medieval pageant or won the title in some contest of skill...
SURNAME
Knight (Variants: Night, Knivett, Knights)
An English and Scottish status name and occupational name, nickname from Middle English knight, knicht , knyt(h), (Old English cniht ). The Old English word meant ‘lad’ or ‘servant’, and the sense ‘servant, attendant, or retainer’ survived into early Middle English.
A nickname for someone who aped the behaviour of a knight or played the role in a folk play, tableau, or ceremony. Although a term originally applied to a young man after he was admitted to the privilege of bearing arms, by a certain ceremony of great importance called knighting, for some bearers, the period between childhood and manhood.
In Ireland, the surname is sometimes adopted for Mac an Ridire ‘son of the knight’, also McKnight.
Early bearers of the surname include: Walter le Knit, 1200 in Oseney Cartulary (Oxon); William Knicht’, 1221 in Assize Rolls (Worcs); John Knyght, 1275 in Hundred Rolls (Suffolk); Gervasius Knyght, 1379 in Poll Tax (Graffham, Sussex); Willelmus Knyht, 1379 in Poll Tax (Kingsbury, Warwicks); Johannes Knyght, 1379 in Poll Tax (Pontefract, WR Yorks); Ricardus Knyt, 1381 in Poll Tax (Adlestrop, Gloucs); Johes. Knight, 1539 in IGI (Audley, Staffs); Stephen Knight, 1540 in IGI (Farnham, Surrey); Joonne Knight, 1543 in IGI (Arlingham, Gloucs); Gregorie Knight, 1583 in IGI (Oare, Kent); Joane Knight, 1589 in IGI (Glinton, Northants).
In 1891, the surname was recorded in England and Wales with 38,659 occurrences and a further 636 in Scotland.
In 1881, the surname was widespread especially south, west and central England. Kent was reported as a top county for the surname with 2,315 occurrences. More centralised, it was also reported as a top surname by occurrence in Bristol district located in Gloucestershire.
In 1881, it was also reported that the most common Knight occupation in the UK was Agricultural Labourer. Agricultural Labourer, Farmer and Labourer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Knight. A less common occupation was Carpenter.
Sir Peter Knight FRS (b.1947, a British physicist that was knighted in the Queen’s 2005 Birthday Honours. He is a professor of quantum optics, which investigating phenomena involving light and its interactions with matter at submicroscopic levels.
Another noted, Beverley Knight MBE (b.1973), a British recording artist that is regarded as one of Britain’s greatest soul singers.
1881, 1891 Census
1881 Census in Kent
1881 Cencus in Gloucestershire
Dictionary of American Family Homes, P Hanks OUP 2003
Homes of Family Names in Great Britain, H.B. Guppy, London 1890
The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, P.Hanks, Coats, McClure OUP 2016
1860 Lower, Mark A Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom, London: J.R Smith. Public Domain
1857 Arthur, William An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. New York: Sheldon, Blakeman. Public Domain
J.M.P
Select Audience
-
Public
Anyone on or off Wales101 -
Friends
Your friends on Wales101 -
Specific
Only show to some friends -
Only me
Only you can see your post
Tag People
-
Kane William
-
John Micky
-
John william
-
John Smith
-
John
Create Life Event
Catharine Knight
Areas of Origin for KNIGHT
Invite more KNIGHT family members!
Write an email address and click 'Invite' to share this page with more members of the KNIGHT tribe.
Log in or Register to invite others
Family Coat of Arms Generator
Why not see what your family crest could look like based on your own family characteristics?
Create CrestJoin the Irish Learning Rooms
Show off the KNIGHT Family Crestโฆ
Wear your crest with pride...plenty of products to choose from
I am busy compiling a family tree, but am struggling to find anything beyond my geat grandparent, William Henry Knight born +- 1866 and according to a probate his parents where John & Jane Knight. But undortunately I can't find anything on them. According to what I could find he was part of 8 siblings and them being: Richard Carlisle / John Charles / Richard George / Edwart Alfred / Elizabeth Mary Anne / Amy Margaret & Gertrude Jane Knight.
Records also indicate that William Henry was born in South Africa..??
???