Light (surname)
Appearance
Light is a surname of the English language.
Etymology
Coming from Middle English, there are several possible meanings. From the Middle English lyght it means a happy, cheerful person. The Old English leoht could be a person who is ‘bright’ or ‘cheerful’.
The two forms of light - leoht and lioht had distinct meanings, but became mixed over time. The Middle English word lite, coming from Old English l¯t ‘little’, also became lyght.[1]
Individuals
Light may refer to:
- Alan Light (born c. 1966), US journalist and music reviewer
- Alan L. Light (born 1953), founder of the Comics Buyer's Guide
- Alex Light (born 1994), American football player
- Bill Light and Billy Light - see William Light (disambiguation), several people:
- Bill Light (Willam "Bill" C. Light, b. 1949), American farmer and politician
- Billy Light (William Henry "Billy" Light, 1913–1993), English footballer
- Danny Light (1948–2014), English footballer
- Douglas Light (fl. 1990s–present), US author
- Elisha Light (1873–1952), English cricketer
- Enoch Light (1907–1978), US classical violinist and bandleader
- Francis Light (1740–1794), founder of the British colony of Penang
- George Thomas Light (1820–1896), organist and architect in South Australia
- H. Wayne Light (born 1945), US academic and author
- James Light (born c. 1803), English cricketer
- James F. Light (1921–2002), US literature scholar and university VP & provost
- Jay Light (musician) (fl. 1970s–present), US musician
- Jay Owen Light (fl. 1990s–present), US academic and university dean
- Jennifer S. Light (fl. 2000s), US academic and author
- John Light (disambiguation), several people:
- John Light (actor) (born 1973), English cinema, television and theatre actor
- John H. Light, American lawyer, Connecticut politician and Attorney General
- Judith Light (born 1949), US television actress
- Kevin Light (born 1979), Canadian rower
- Matt Light (born 1978), US football player
- Paul Light (fl. 1980s–present), English academic and university chancellor
- Richard Upjohn Light (1902–1994), US neurosurgeon, aviator, cinematographer, and president of the American Geographical Society
- Timothy Light (born 1938), professor emeritus at Western Michigan University
- Walter Light (1927–1979), US musician
- Walter Frederick Light (1923–1996), Canadian businessman
- William Light (disambiguation), several people, including
- William Light (1786–1839), first Surveyor-General of South Australia
- William Light (cricketer) (1878–1930), English cricketer
- William Light (Kansas politician)
- William Sidney "Cap" Light (died 1893), Texas lawman
- Zach Light (born 1974), US martial artist
- Zion Lights, British-Indian activist
Fictional People
- Doctor Light (disambiguation), three comicbook characters
See also
- Leicht (surname) (German)
- Leight (surname)
- Licht (surname) (German)
- Lite - variation of Lyte
- Luce (name) (French)
- Luci (Italian)
- Lumière (surname) (French)
- Luz (name) (Spanish and Portuguese)
- Lyght (surname) - see Todd Lyght
- Lyte (surname) (English)
References
- ^ "Light Family History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 9 November 2016.