# Dwight (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/dwight/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | English |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdwaɪt/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 78,907 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 78,587 / 320 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 86, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Probably from a Middle English female name Diot, a pet form of Dionysia, the feminine form of Dionysius.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 13 | 4,023 |
| 1971 | 11 | 4,892 |
| 1972 | 5 | 8,620 |
| 1973 | 5 | 8,790 |
| 1974 | 9 | 5,884 |
| 1975 | 6 | 8,276 |
| 1976 | 5 | 9,695 |
| 1977 | 8 | 7,058 |
| 1978 | 6 | 8,842 |
| 1979 | 6 | 9,306 |
| 1980 | 6 | 9,406 |
| 1981 | 6 | 9,421 |
| 1984 | 6 | 9,459 |
| 1985 | 10 | 6,584 |
| 1986 | 7 | 8,797 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 138 | 1,253 |
| 2012 | 136 | 1,287 |
| 2013 | 133 | 1,300 |
| 2014 | 129 | 1,342 |
| 2015 | 103 | 1,570 |
| 2016 | 99 | 1,620 |
| 2017 | 94 | 1,686 |
| 2018 | 93 | 1,690 |
| 2019 | 77 | 1,921 |
| 2020 | 82 | 1,817 |
| 2021 | 70 | 2,083 |
| 2022 | 57 | 2,447 |
| 2023 | 61 | 2,296 |
| 2024 | 54 | 2,510 |
| 2025 | 46 | 2,774 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 5 | 2,022 |
| 1998 | 6 | 1,821 |
| 1999 | 9 | 1,383 |
| 2000 | 7 | 1,703 |
| 2001 | 9 | 1,467 |
| 2002 | 4 | 2,636 |
| 2003 | 8 | 1,771 |
| 2004 | 4 | 3,009 |
| 2005 | 9 | 1,851 |
| 2006 | 3 | 4,052 |
| 2008 | 3 | 4,432 |
| 2010 | 3 | 4,678 |
| 2011 | 3 | 4,647 |
| 2016 | 3 | 4,810 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4,275 |

## People named Dwight

- James Dwight Dana, American mineralogist, scientist and zoologist (1813-1895)
- Dwight Schultz, American actor (born 1947)
- Dwight Filley Davis Sr., American politician and tennis player (1879–1945)
- Dwight Phillips, American long jumper (born 1977)
- Dwight Yoakam, American country singer-songwriter, actor, and film director
- Dwight McNeil, English association football player (born 1999)
- Dwight Lyman Moody, American evangelist (1837–1899)
- Dwight Gayle, English association football player
- Dwight Lodeweges, Dutch association football player and manager
- Dwight Powell, Canadian basketball player (born 1991)
- Dwight Frye, actor (1899-1943)
- Dwight Tiendalli, Dutch association football player (born 1985)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.