McNaught or MacNaught or Macnaught is a Scottish surname deriving from MacNeachdan which is a Gaelic patronymic for the Pictish name Nechdan meaning 'Pure'. It was anglicised as Macnaughten and variations of the name have led to Macnaught and MacKnight (also Macknight and McKnight). The MacNaughts of Kilquhanty were a branch of the Clan Macnaghten. Notable people with the surname include:
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Anita McNaught (born 1965), British-New Zealand journalist and TV presenter
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Erin McNaught (born 1982), the 2006 Miss Australia
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Euphemia McNaught (1902–2002), Canadian painter
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Ian McNaught-Davis (floruit 1950s-1980s), BBC TV presenter
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James McNaught (1870–1919), Scottish footballer, 1901 FA Cup winner with Tottenham.
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Jane Macnaught, producer of British TV soap Coronation Street
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John McNaught (1902–1970), Canadian radio broadcaster and writer
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John McNaught (1964–1997), Scottish footballer
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Johnny McNaught (1892–1972), Scottish footballer
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John Watson MacNaught (1904–1984), Canadian politician
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Judith McNaught (born 1944), American writer
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Ken McNaught (born 1955), Scottish footballer
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Kenneth McNaught (1918–1997), Canadian historian
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Robert H. McNaught (born 1956), Scottish-Australian astronomer
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William McNaught (1883-1953), English music critic and teacher, son of William Gray McNaught
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William McNaught (Glasgow) (1813–1881), engineer who compounded a beam engine
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William McNaught (Rochdale), (flourished 1840s-1870s), engineer of Petrie and McNaught, who invented a variable cut off gear and governor for a Stationary steam engine
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William Gray McNaught (1849-1918), English music critic and teacher
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William Kirkpatrick McNaught (1845–1919), Canadian politician
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Willie McNaught (1922–1989), Scottish footballer (father of Ken)
See also
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3173 McNaught, asteroid discovered in 1981
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Numerous comets discovered by Robert H. McNaught
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Comet McNaught-Russell, comet
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130P/McNaught-Hughes, comet
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McNaught Syndicate, American newspaper syndicate founded 1922
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McKnight, a related surname
