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Dwight History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Dwight History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Dwight family

The surname Dwight was first found in Derbyshire where the first record of the family was in the Latin form: Henry Duyhts who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls there in 1327. 1

There is much speculation about the origin of this name. One source notes that it is a "corruption of the once common Dyot (v. Dyet and Dyson.) 2

Another presumes that is was a "pet name of Dionisia (Greek god of wine.)" 3

Another believes that the name was "possibly a corruption of Thwaite." 4 And finally, another source believes that the name was Norman in origin, as according to the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae, the name is "from Doit. William de Doito, Ralph, Walter, Rainald, Richard, 1185-95, in Normandy" 5

Moving on from the aforementioned listing in 1327, fifty-two years later there was another found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379: Magota Duyott and this source notes that "the usual form in this register of names is Dyot and Diot." 2

John Dwight was listed in the 1524 Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk and Josiah Dwight was listed in Oxfordshire in 1665. 1

Early History of the Dwight family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dwight research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1455, 1487, 1511, 1524, 1628, 1669, 1674, 1676, 1687, 1703, 1708, 1729 and 1737 are included under the topic Early Dwight History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dwight Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dwight, Dwite, Dwit, Dweight, Dwyte, Dight and others.

Early Notables of the Dwight family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Dwight (1628-1703), generally considered the first distinguished English potter, his work can be found today in the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. On 3 March 1674, Dwight's si...
Samuel Dwight (1669?-1737), was an English physician, born about 1669, the son of John Dwight, who has been identified with the potter noticed in the preceding article. A brother Philip was vicar of F...

Dwight Ranking

In the United States, the name Dwight is the 15,206^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Dwight migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dwight Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Dwight, who arrived in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1635 7
Timothy Dwight, who arrived in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1635 7
Thomas Dwight, who landed in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1638 7

Dwight Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Daniel Dwight, who landed in New England in 1729 7

Dwight migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dwight Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Edmund Dwight, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
William Dwight, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Edward Dwight, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Eliza Dwight, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
John Dwight, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Dwight migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dwight Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Eli Dwight, aged 20, a shoemaker, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Ostrich" 8
William Dwight, aged 19, a gardener, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Duchess of Northumberland"

Contemporary Notables of the name Dwight (post 1700) +

Timothy Dwight, American educator, born in Norwich, Conn
Theodore William Dwight, American lawyer, born in Catskill, NY
Timothy Dwight (1752-1817), American clergyman
Theodore Dwight (1764-1846), American journalist
Henry Williams Dwight (1788-1845), American politician, Member of Massachusetts State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Massachusetts, 1821-31 9
Henry C. Dwight, American Republican politician, Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut, 1890-92; Defeated, 1892; Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hartford, 1912 9
Elsie Dwight, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1984 9
Edward L. Dwight, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 2nd District, 1932 9
Donald R. Dwight (b. 1931), American politician, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, 1971-75 9
David H. Dwight, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 1940 (alternate), 1944, 1948 9
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
South Australian Register Saturday 22nd July 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Ostrich 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/ostrich1854.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html