Light (surname)

Light is a surname.

Coming from Middle English, there are several possible meanings. In Middle English, lyght 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]

• Alan Light (born c. 1966), Americanjournalist and music reviewer
• Alan Light (comics) (born 1953), founder of the Comics Buyer's Guide
• Alex Light (born 1994), American football player
• Bill Light (born 1949), American farmer and politician
• Billy Light (1913–1993), English footballer
• Danny Light (1948–2014), English footballer
• Douglas Light (fl. 1990s–present), American author
• Edward Light (1747–1832), English musician, inventor of the harp-lute
• Elisha Light (1873–1952), English cricketer
• Enoch Light (1907–1978), American 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
• Henry Light (1782/3–1870), third governor of British Guiana
• H. Wayne Light (1945–2015), American academic and author
• James Light (cricketer) (born c. 1803), English cricketer
• James Light (director) (1895–1964), American director and actor
• James F. Light (1921–2002), American literature scholar and university VP and provost
• Jay Light (musician) (fl. 1970s–present), American musician
• Jay Owen Light (1941–2022), American academic and university dean
• Jennifer S. Light (fl. 2000s), American academic and author
• 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), American television actress
• Kevin Light (born 1979), Canadian rower
• Matt Light (born 1978), American football player
• Paul Light (fl. 1980s–present), English academic and university chancellor
• Richard Upjohn Light (1902–1994), American neurosurgeon, aviator, cinematographer, and president of the American Geographical Society
• Timothy Light (born 1938), professor emeritus at Western Michigan University
• Walter Light (1927–1979), American musician
• Walter Frederick Light (1923–1996), Canadian businessman
• William Light (1786–1839), first Surveyor-General of South Australia
• William Light (cricketer) (1878–1930), English cricketer
• William Sidney "Cap" Light (died 1893), Texas lawman

• Zion Lights (born 1984), British author and environmental activist

Surname list

This page lists people with the surname Light.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.