Where Does the Cartright Surname Come From?

Families named Cartright share their surname's story with Cartwright, its better-known spelling. Its meaning, shared with Cartwright, is “Cart maker”.

Heraldry and the Cartright name

There is no single Cartright family crest for every bearer. Herald Lab researches the arms historically associated with the name and explains whose they were.

A variant of Cartwright

Before spelling was fixed, Cartwright was also written Cartright. Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard. Other spellings include Cartwrite.

The 2010 US Census counted 375 people named Cartright, ranking it number 54,864 among American surnames. That puts it inside the top 100,000 US surnames. Want more than a summary? See the Cartright family name pack.