Hello, my name is [name]Blake[/name] and I am a new dad to be seeking some opinions. We don’t know what we are having yet but I thought it would be really neat to name our little girl or boy after my wife. Her maiden name is [name]Knight[/name]. What do you think about [name]Knight[/name] for a boy, or maybe Knightley for a girl? Is there a better way to do this or are there maybe names that mean knight that could work just as well? Thanks for any help 
My middle name is my mother’s maiden name and I’ve always loved it, so I think that [name]Knight[/name] as a middle name for a boy or a girl would be wonderful. I don’t like [name]Knight[/name] on a boy very much (the rapper [name]Nas[/name] and the singer [name]Kelis[/name] have a son with that name, so that was my first thought), but I don’t think that it’s awful, and the fact that it’s a family name lets you get away with it a bit more. Knightley on a girl is really, really bad in my opinion.
I would just use [name]Knight[/name] in the middle spot for either gender. For a first name, I would put it in the “trying too hard to be cool” category (eg. Dark [name]Knight[/name], [name]Black[/name] [name]Knight[/name], White [name]Knight[/name], [name]Knight[/name] in Shining Armor etc…). Knightley for a girl would not be advisable. I can just imagine the kids teasing your daughter about giving or getting something “nightly” ( I don’t want to be crude here but it’s the first impression I got from the name and my mind is not one that spends a lot of time in the gutter too much).
It’s not uncommon to use the mother’s maiden name for a middle name, regardless of gender. My brother did that with his son; his son’s middle name is my sister-in-law’s maiden name. That’s the route I’d go in this case, especially with a name like [name]Knight[/name]. It’s a great name, but I’d feel so sorry for the kid who got saddled with [name]Knight[/name] or Knightly for a first name. Teasing about names is inevitable, but why give the kids such easy fodder, especially for a girl (ie, “Knightly”=“nightly”=all sorts of juvenile, inappropriate innuendos, etc.)
Sadly, I hadn’t thought of any of the negative stuff 
Sigh. I guess it’s back to the drawing board for us. Never realized picking the name would be the hard part, haha. Thanks all.
I think [name]Knight[/name] as a middle name for a boy or girl would be excellent. Middle names are highly unlikely to be teased, as they are so rarely used.
I guess I just kind of feel like a middle name is kind of pointless for that reason :-/ It’s not like anyone is ever really going to know what it is, so it doesn’t feel like much of a tribute to me. No offense to anyone, I’m by no means a names expert. [name]Just[/name] feeling a little lost on this whole thing, I guess.
Something else to consider is that it doesn’t matter what you name your baby - kids will find a way to tease. A boy named [name]Knight[/name] will get some “knight in shining armor” comments, but all things considered I think that’s something a kid can live with. There’s such a wide variety of names in use now that I’m starting to question if all of these concerns about name teasing are even valid. If your [name]Knight[/name] is going to school with boys named [name]Ryder[/name] and [name]Jett[/name], just think… if the three become friends and have a passion for music, they’re pretty much a ready-made rock band.
ETA: A middle name is only meaningless when the thought process behind it is meaningless, i.e. the name was chosen just because it sounds good.
[name]Knight[/name] for a boy (either first or middle) is ok - not my style, but it doesn’t bother me. but i really dislike Knightley for a girl though: either put [name]Knight[/name] in the middle, or save it for a boy.
I love [name]Knight[/name] for either gender
Middles get used more than you think, and many people feel very attached to theirs. I do to mine which isn’t even a family name, just a name with a lot of meaning to my dad. This is such a well-established tradition that you can almost think of it as giving the child two last names (which plenty of people not in those cultures also do - not suggesting you do that unless you want to).
I think [name]Knight[/name] or Knightly would be a fantastic middle name but I really dislike it in the first name spot.
I think middle names are very important. My middle name is after my mother, and it makes me feel connected to her. [name]Even[/name] if everyone I meet doesn’t know my middle name, I know it. Your son or daughter would probably really appreciate the connection that [name]Knight[/name] as a middle name would give.
Another person speaking up for middle names! I love my middle name so much, it has a lot of meaning to me and it’s actually quite commonly known amongst my friends and (obviously) family. I agree with some other posters, I think [name]Knight[/name] would make a fantastic middle name for either gender. I also think you can get away with it as a first name for a boy, though I’m not a fan of it or Knightley for a girl. Good luck with your naming!
Thank you all very much. I myself just have a random middle name that has no deep meaning to it, and my wife’s was chosen the same way. I guess I just never considered them for anything more than helping separate [name]Johnny[/name] B. [name]Smith[/name] from [name]Johnny[/name] C. [name]Smith[/name] in the classroom. We will keep it in mind for a middle name for either.
My Dad went by his first name as a child and again now as an adult, but while in college he decided to go by his middle name. I have no idea why he did that -I guess he needed a new start for some reason. Having a mn does give your child more options for playing with their name in the future though. My Dad used to do art as well, so although his friends and family used his first name all the time, he signed his mn on his artwork -gave a bit of anonymity while still identifying it as his. 
I also know two people -one adult, one child who always go by their middle names since they share their first name with their father.
Then there are authors like Tolkein who go by their initials. J.R.R. Tolkien wouldn’t be the same without his middle names. J. Tolkien isn’t quite as interesting.
Another friend always goes by his initials too, as his nn -[name]JR[/name] (he is French, so I don’t think he or his family were inspired by [name]Dallas[/name]). [name]Jean[/name] Francois was a popular name here in [name]Quebec[/name] when I was a kid, and many of them used the nn JF (which got turned into [name]Jeff[/name]).
So… middle names are often used -it depends on the importance that the parents give it and what the child thinks of it. My middle name is [name]Carole[/name]. I’m not overly fond of it, but I know my father is very proud of it. Anytime my full name comes up in conversation, he ALWAYS says: “it means song of joy”. He never mentions the meaning of my first name, or my brother’s names, so I guess the meaning of [name]Carole[/name] is really important to him, although he’s never told me why.
I like both, actually! [name]Knight[/name] is a cool first name for a boy, and Knightley brings [name]Keira[/name] Knightley to mind, so the name seems graceful and lovely to me.
Either would make an awesome middle name, as well.
The moment I heard Knightley, it made me think of [name]Keira[/name] Knightley which is, imo, a bit much to live up to!!! However [name]Knight[/name] is great for a girls mn or a first for a boy!
I love [name]Knight[/name] for either a boy or a girl, as well as Knightley for a girl! Adorable!
I am considering the name [name_m]Knight[/name_m] for my son who is due next year. I love it and cant find anything else i like better. Honestly it doesn’t matter what other people think.