Culbert

Culbert is a name that seems to have originated in Europe.

Origins

The surname Culbert may stem from Culbheart, which is said^{[by whom?]} to be a Gaelic form of "crafty". Crafty is related to "wisdom," and this suggests a connection with the surname Cuthbert, a name of Old English origin, which means "known-bright"^[1][2][3][4]. It is also believed that Culbert is derived from Cutbert, and this earlier spelling is very similar to Cuthbert and Cuthbertson, one reason for the close relationship between these surnames.

MacLysaght ^[5] states that the surname Culbert is of Huguenot origin, and is found mainly in Ireland's northern province of Ulster. Culbrath is an eighteenth century variant of Culbert in County Monaghan. Culbert families are known in Ireland since the 15th Century, especially in the province of Munster. In Scotland, Culbert is associated with County Fife. It is a variant of Colbert, and of the Old English Ceolbeorht according to Black ^[6].

The surname is also closely related to Culbertson and Culberson, which mean son of Culbert.

Places

The early records for this surname are found in Scotland, Ireland, and England. As migrations from Europe became more common in the 19th and 20th Centuries, these families have spread and become more predominant in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.^[7] For example, in the 1881 Census of the United Kingdom (including England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland), 91 Culbert individuals were indexed, compared to 256 individuals in the 1881 Canada Census, and compared to 620 individuals in the 1880 U.S. Federal Census.^[8]

People

Culbert can be found as a given name or as a surname, as in the following examples of persons:

• David Culbert, from Australia, is a former international track and field athlete who specialized in the long jump.
• Harold William Culbert (16 May 1944-1 Mar 2005) was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 to 1997.
• Culbert Olson was an American politician and governor of California.
• Katharine Culbert Lyall was the former President (retired, 2004) of the University of Wisconsin System.^[9]
• Sidney S. Culbert was a psychologist and Esperantist.
• William K. Culbert is a famous jukskeiplayer from South Africa.

References

1. ^ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=cuthbert&searchmode=none
2. ^ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bright.
3. ^ http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Cuthbert
4. ^ http://www.behindthename.com/name/cuthbert
5. ^ Edward MacLysaght, 1999, The Surnames of Ireland, 6th Ed., Irish Academic Press, Dublin, Ireland and Portland, Oregon, USA
6. ^ Dr. George F. Black, 1946, Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning and History, New York Public Library, 12th printing, 1999, p. 190, ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
7. ^ James H. Culbert, Culbert Registration No. 4096, Guild of One-Name Studies
8. ^ http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=census/search_census.asp
9. ^ http://www.wisconsin.edu/wisconsinideas/archive/2004v20n2spring/lyall.htm

External links

• Culbert One-Name study
• The Culbert One-name study is registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies.