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Wright

Surname

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
20 min read
Source updated August 24, 2026

Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word wryhta or wyrhta, meaning "worker or shaper of wood". Later, the word referred to any occupational worker and came to be used as a surname.

The word's use as an occupational title continued until the mid-19th century, often combined with other words such as in shipwright, wheelwright, wainwright and playwright. The word carpentier, now carpenter, was introduced into England in the years after the Norman conquest in 1066 and slowly replaced the traditional meaning of wright in most of England. 'Wright' is still used in Scottish English in its original meaning of 'skilled woodworker'. The Incorporation of Wrights of the Trades House of Glasgow, and the Incorporation of Wrights and Masons of Edinburgh Trades retain the word in its original meaning in their role of promoting the woodworking trade.

In 2014, Wright was the eleventh most common surname in England. Wright is also an anglicised version of the Scots Gaelic clan name "MacIntyre" or "Mac an t-Saoir", meaning "son of the wright" (son of the carpenter).

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03Fictional characters

Watch videos about WrightExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Wright”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Related topics

Cartwright

Cartwright may refer to:

Wainwright

Wainwright may refer to:

Wheelwright (disambiguation)

A wheelwright is a person who builds or repairs wheels.