Carthew: Last Name Origin and Family Crest

The name Carthew is closely linked to Cartier. At root, the name means “Carter, carrier of goods”.

Before spelling was fixed, Cartier was also written Carthew. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists. Related forms: Quartier.

Carthew sounds close to Carthy, so it can help to search both.

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Carthew, so the heraldry linked to Cartier is a starting point, not an automatic right. For the full story, order the Carthew surname pack.