Knightley was born on 26 March 1985 in Teddington, London, England. Her mother, Sharman Macdonald, is Scottish. Her father, Will Knightley, is English. He wanted to name his daughter "Kiera", after the Russian ice skater, Kira Ivanova. When her mother went to register her, she misspelt the name. Knightley has an older brother, Caleb. When Knightley lived in Richmond, she studied at Stanley Junior School, Teddington School and Esher College.