Wright

Wright
Family name
Meaning "Worker or maker"
Region of origin England
Footnotes: [1]

Wright is an occupational surname originating in England.[1] The term Wright comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word "wryhta" or "wyrhta", meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker[2][3] (for example, a shipwright is a person who builds ships), and is used as a British family name. Wright is also an anglicized version of the Scots Gaelic clan name "MacIntyre" or "Mac an t-Saoir", meaning "Son of the Wright", or Son of the Carpenter". The word Carpentier, now Carpenter was introduced into England in 1066 and slowly replaced the traditional name and meaning of wright.[4] Wright is the thirteenth most common surname in the United Kingdom.[5] Its use as an occupational title continued until the mid-19th century. Its occupational use was often combined with other words such as wheelwright or playwright.[6]

People with the family name

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See also

References

  1. ^ a b British surnames - origin
  2. ^ Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. ISBN 0-87779-338-7. 
  3. ^ Harrison, Henry (1969). Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary. 2. Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 311. 
  4. ^ Clan MacIntyre history; Archived page
  5. ^ British surnames
  6. ^ "Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, Version 4.0 (Windows & Mac)". http://www.amazon.com/dp/0199563837/.