Light (surname)

LightOrigin

Language(s)| Old English, Middle English
Other names
Related names| Leicht, Leight, Licht, Luce, Luz, Lyght, Lyte

Light is a surname.

## Etymology

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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]

## People

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* 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

## See also

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

## References

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1. ^ "Light Family History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 9 November 2016.

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.