Carpenter (surname)
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɑːrpəntər/ |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Meaning | worker or fixer of wood, builder of wood |
| Region of origin | England, France |
| Other names | |
| Variant forms | Zimmermann, Zimmerman, Timmerman, Carpentier, Charpentier |
Carpenter is a surname. Its use as a forename or middle name is rare. Within the United States, it ranked as the 231st-most common surname as of the 2010 census.[1] The English meaning of carpenter is the occupation of one who makes wooden objects and structures by shaping wood.[2]
Origin
Common use of the Carpenter surname in the English language is seen circa 1275–1325 in Middle English. Its use prior to this time as a surname has roots in the Anglo-Norman French introduced into England about the time of the Norman conquest of England of 1066. The earliest attested use as a surname in English is from 1121,[3] though its use as a secondary name or description in the Domesday Book of 1086 might have precedence.
In Old French, the surname was commonly written as "Carpentier" and its earlier form as "Charpentier".[4][5] Its use as a surname may have derived as a nickname or description of one's occupation circa 900–1000.[2]
All of these variations come from the Late Latin carpentārĭus, denoting use as an artifex[6] – a wagon or carriage-maker equal to a wainwright. The roots of carpentārĭus come from the Latin carpentum, meaning a two-wheeled carriage or a form of chariot not used directly for warfare in the community by women and others, plus arius – used in the masculine form as a noun denoting an agent of use from other nouns. It may be related to the Old Irish carpat and the Gaulish carbad for carriage or cart, and is probably related to the Gaulish karros.[2]
See also
- List of people with surname Carpenter, for real and fictional Carpenters
- Carpenter (disambiguation), for Carpenter named communities, natural features, and man-made features
- Historic Carpenter Houses, for houses, homes, shops, homesteads, farmsteads, or other partially named or hyphenated named places with "Carpenter" or a similar meaning name
References
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau; "Frequently Occurring Surnames From the 2010 Census: Top 1,000 Surnames"; published December 27, 2016; <https://www2.census.gov/topics/genealogy/2010surnames/Names_2010Census_Top1000.xlsx>
- ^ a b c Combined from several sources including: Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, 1996 by Barnes & Noble Books, and Concise Oxford Dictionary – 10th Edition by Oxford University Press.
- ^ Online Etymology Dictionary by Douglas Harper, 2001–2010, accessed April 13, 2010.
- ^ Hanks, Patrick (2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. pp. 293, 319. ISBN 9780195165593.
- ^ Hanks, Patrick (2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-977169-1. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
- ^ See also Artificer