Dwight
Dwight was the 2774th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 46 babies. Its best year was 1953, when it ranked 122nd with 2,698 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,204 places. More babies were named Dwight in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Diot, pet form of Dionysia · English, Greek
Say it DWITE /dwaɪt/
- Rank in 2025
- #2,774 boys, down 957 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 46boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19532,698 babies
- Total since 1880
- 78,907babies recorded
What does the name Dwight mean?
Dwight is an English surname that became a first name, mostly in the United States. The surname is probably from Diot, a medieval pet form of the woman's name Dionysia, which is the feminine of Dionysius, "of Dionysus", the Greek god. Its use as a first name in America owes much to the prominent New England Dwight family and later to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Diot (Middle English, “pet form of Dionysia”)Διονύσιος (Ancient Greek, “of Dionysus”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary gives the Diot/Dionysia origin as probable, not certain.
Related names: Dionysia, Dennis.
See also: Greek names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Dwight', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Dwight (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Dwight popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 320 since 1913.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,774 | 46 |
| 2020 | #1,817 | 82 |
| 2010 | #1,244 | 142 |
| 2000 | #773 | 215 |
| 1990 | #446 | 493 |
| 1980 | #350 | 517 |
| 1970 | #231 | 1,026 |
| 1960 | #181 | 1,720 |
| 1950 | #146 | 1,812 |
| 1940 | #262 | 456 |
| 1930 | #233 | 542 |
| 1920 | #273 | 412 |
| 1910 | #332 | 55 |
| 1900 | #267 | 59 |
| 1890 | #358 | 24 |
| 1880 | #541 | 12 |
How popular is Dwight, counting every spelling?
Dwight has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Dwight?
46 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Dwight (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Dwight born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 182 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Dwight.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Dwight?
About 48,100 people born in the US named Dwight are alive today, with a median age of 63; half are between 48 and 72. That makes Dwight a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Dwight by state
How common Dwight was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 44 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Dwight: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Dwight, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Dwight · Sibling names for Dwight
Questions about the name Dwight
What does Dwight mean?
Dwight means “from Diot, pet form of Dionysia” (English, Greek origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Dwight?
Dwight was the 2774th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 46 babies. Its best year was 1953, when it ranked 122nd with 2,698 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,204 places. More babies were named Dwight in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Dwight a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Dwight in the US.
Where is Dwight most popular?
In 2021–2025, Dwight was most common in Florida (0.04 per 1,000 boys), followed by Michigan and Tennessee.