Wight Name Study

Surnames/tags: Wight Whight

Contents 1 About the Project 1.1 Origins of the Name 1.2 Wight Family Genealogies 1.3 DNA Study 2 How to Join 3 Research Pages 3.1 English Wights 3.2 Scottish Wights 3.3 Irish Wights 3.4 Wights in America 4 Membership 5 Related Surnames and Surname Variants

About the Project

The Wight Name Study project serves as a collaborative platform to collect information on the Wight name. The hope is that other researchers like you will join the study to help make it a valuable reference point for other genealogists who are researching or have an interest in the Wight name.

As a One Name Study, this project is not limited to persons who are related biologically. Individual studies can be used to branch out the research into specific methods and areas of interest, such as geographically (England Wight's), by time period (18th Century Wight's), or by topic (Wight DNA, Wight Occupations, Wight Statistics). These studies may also include a number of family branches which have no immediate link with each other. Some researchers may even be motivated to go beyond the profile identification and research stage to compile fully sourced, single-family histories of some of the families they discover through this name study project.

Also see the related surnames and surname variants.

Origins of the Name

Ancestry lists the origin of the name as: Scottish and English: nickname from Middle English wiht wight ‘agile nimble strong brave’ (Old Norse víg with the Old Norse neuter suffix -t for which compare the word scant) or from the corresponding Older Scots word wicht. Possibly sometimes a nickname from Middle English wight ‘living creature; small portion or thing’ or from the corresponding Older Scots word wicht. English: habitational name from the Isle of Wight. The island is recorded as Vectis (its Latin name) c. 150 AD. Its name derives from a British word perhaps related to Welsh gwaith ‘turn course’ meaning ‘place of the division’ in reference to the island's position in the Solent. English and Scottish: variant of White .^[1] This definition references the Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, 2022.

Wight Family Genealogies

The Wight surname has been researched for many years. Three previous genealogical efforts in the US resulted in published books.

In 1848 Danforth Phipps Wight, MD published The Wight Family, Memior of Thomas Wight of Deham, Mass. WIth Genealogical Notices of His DescendantsItalic text. This can be found on the Internet Archive.^[2] This effort was 119 pages and according to the preface was completed in 1840. The book attempted to trace the descendants of Thomas Wight.

The second effort was completed by William Ward Wight and published in 1890. The Wights. A record of Thomas Wight of Dedham and Medfield and of his descendants, 1635-1890 is also available on the Internet Archive.^[3] This effort extends the efforts of the first book and include 3115 individuals. It has an index and a List of Authorities. This book was reprinted by Lois J Wight as the head of The Wight Family Association.

Lois J Wight then endeavored to continue the work done by William Ward Wight by writing and editing The Wights, Vol II in 1977. This volume continued the descendants of Thomas Wight, made numerous corrections to the original book, and also expanded to include other Wight families in the US, including the branch that is primarily of Scottish origin. Chapters for English, Irish and Scottish families are included and numbered separately. There is also a chapter on Other Unaffiliated Wight Families. The book has 720 pages and an index. This book is not currently available. There is a copy at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. The project coordinator Schelin-19 has a personal copy and will do look ups for Wght family members.

DNA Study

There is a WIght DNA Study group with information here and at FTDNA.

How to Join

To join the Wight Name Study, first start out by browsing our current research pages to see if there is a specific study ongoing that fits your interests. If so, feel free to add your name to the Membership list below, post an introduction comment on the specific team page, and then dive right in!

If a research page does not yet exist for your particular area of interest, please contact the Name Study Coordinator: Peggy (Schelin) Jude for assistance.

Once you are ready to go, you can also show your project affiliation with the ONS Member Sticker:

Research Pages

In an effort to sort out the various Wight families and group WikiTree profiles the following groupings of Wights have been identified. Any assistance in building out the various groups would be greatly welcomed.

Note: these groups are set up by geography to most easily sort out families, but they are not mutually exclusive. Typically the groups represents the earliest known ancestor for a family line.

English Wights

• Wights who are still in England
• Ancent Wights in England

Scottish Wights

• The Wights of Ormiston Scotland - Robert Wight, Alexander Wight, James Wight
• Other Scottish Wights

Irish Wights

• Rice Wight of Cork, Ireland and descendants
• Other Irish Wights

Wights in America

• Thomas Wight of Dedham, Massachusetts and descendants - Thomas Wight
• Thomas Wight of Exeter, New Hampshire and descendants
• James Wight and his wife Jane McConochie, immigrants to the US in 1794 and descendants Wight-945
• Other WIght Families in the US
• Other Wight Families in Canada

Membership

Related Surnames and Surname Variants

• Whight