Wright
Origin | |
---|---|
Meaning | Worker, maker |
Region of origin | England |
Frequency comparisons[1] |
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England.[1] The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker[2][3] (for example, a shipwright is a person who builds ships), and is used as a British family name.
The word's use as an occupational title continued until the mid-19th century, often combined with other words such as in shipwright, wheelwright,[4] wainwright and playwright.[5] As of 2014[update], Wright was the eleventh most common surname in England.[1]
The word carpentier, now "carpenter", was introduced into England in the years after the Norman conquest in 1066 and slowly replaced the traditional name and meaning of wright in most of England. 'Wright' is still used in Scottish English in the original meaning of 'skilled woodworker'. The Incorporation of Wrights of the Trades House of Glasgow,[6] and the Incorporation of Wrights and Masons of Edinburgh Trades[7] retain the word in its original meaning in their role of promoting the woodworking trade.
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).[8][9][10] In Ireland, the native Gaelic Mac an Cheairt sept of County Mayo occasionally changed their name to Wright. This is a literal translation meaning, "son of the right or righteous".[11]
People with the family name
A
- A. Gilbert Wright (1909–1987), American zoologist and museologist
- Adam Wright (rugby league) (1975–1998), Australian rugby league footballer
- Adam Wright (water polo) (born 1977), American water polo player and college water polo head coach
- Al Wright (baseball manager) (1842–1905), American manager of the Philadelphia Athletics
- Al Wright (second baseman) (Albert Wright, 1912–1998), American Major League Baseball second baseman
- Al G. Wright (1916–2020), American band director at Purdue University
- Albert Wright (Australian cricketer) (1875–1938), Australian cricketer
- Albert Wright (cricketer, born 1899) (1899–1987), English cricketer for Northamptonshire
- Albert Wright (cricketer, born 1902) (1902–1984), English cricketer for Essex
- Albert Wright (cricketer, born 1941), English cricketer for Warwickshire
- Harry Wright (Queensland politician) (Albert Henry Wright , 1890–1963), Australian politician, MP for the Electoral district of Bulimba, Queensland (1923–1929)
- Albert D. Wright (1842–1926), American Union Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient
- Albert Hazen Wright (1879–1970), American herpetologist
- Alfred Wright (1848–1909), Anglican priest
- Alfred Wright (missionary) (1788–1853), American Presbyterian minister, missionary and doctor
- Allen Wright (1826–1885), Choctaw chief credited with creating the name "Oklahoma"
- Allen Wright (journalist) (1932–1997), Scottish arts critic and journalist
- Almroth Wright (1861–1947), British microbiologist and immunologist
- Ambrose R. Wright (1826–1872), American Confederate Army General
- Amos Wright (1809–1886), Canadian politician
- Amy Wright (born 1950), American actress and former model
- Amy Wright (activist) (born 1975), American advocate for disabled people
- Amy Wright (curler) (born 1964), American curler
- Amy Wright (writer), American writer
- Amy Wright (basketball), American basketball coach
- Andrew Wright (artist) (born 1971), Canadian multimedia artist
- Andrew Wright (cricketer) (born 1980), English cricketer
- Andrew Wright (footballer) (born 1985), English footballer
- Andrew Barkworth Wright (1895–1971), British Army officer and colonial official
- Andy Wright, one of the Scottsboro Boys
- Andy Wright (footballer) (born 1978), English association football player
- Andy Wright (music producer) (born 1962), English music producer and songwriter
- Andy Wright (sound engineer) (21st Century), Australian supervising sound editor
- Antoine Wright (politician) (born 1960), Vanuatuan politician
- Antoine Wright (basketball) (born 1984), American basketball player
- Arin Wright (born 1992), American association football player
- Aron Wright (1810–1885), American physician and educator
- Arthur Wright (footballer) (1919–1985), English footballer who played for Sunderland
- Arthur Wright (police officer) (1861–1938), New Zealand policeman and police commissioner
- Arthur Wright (writer) (1870–1932), Australian novelist
- Arthur Wright (cricketer) (1886–1970), English cricketer and Royal Navy officer
- Arthur Wright (speedway rider) (1933–2016), English speedway rider
- Arthur E. Wright (1907–1977), Canadian politician
- Arthur F. Wright (1913–1976), American academic, sinologist, editor and professor of history
- Arthur G. Wright (1937–2015), American R&B guitarist and arranger
- Arthur Williams Wright (1836–1915), American physicist
- Arthur Cory-Wright (1869–1951), British businessman{{#sectoin:Ashley Wright|ashleywright}}
B
- Bailey Wright (born 1992), Australian footballer
- Barry Wright (born 1939), English footballer
- Beals Wright (1871–1961), American tennis player
- Beatrice Wright (1910–2003), American-born British politician
- Beatrice Wright (psychologist) (1917–2018), American psychologist
- Ben Wright (American actor) (born 1969) and stuntman, "Jack" in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods (1987)
- Ben Wright (bishop) (1942–2010), Australian Anglican bishop
- Ben Wright (cricketer) (born 1987), English cricketer, currently playing for Glamorgan
- Ben Wright (English actor) (1915–1989), British film and radio actor
- Ben Wright (footballer, born 1980), English footballer
- Ben Wright (footballer, born 1988), English footballer
- Ben Wright (journalist), BBC political correspondent
- Benjamin Wright (civil engineer) (1770–1842), American civil engineer
- Benjamin Wright (composer), American producer and composer
- Benjamin Angus Wright, British media composer
- Benjamin D. Wright (1799–1874), Florida lawyer, journalist, and Whig politician
- Benjamin Drake Wright (1926–2015), American psychometrician
- Benjamin Fletcher Wright, American author and educator
- Bernie Wright (born 1954), British footballer
- Berny Wright (born 1979), Costa Rican footballer
- Bert Wright (cricketer) (1926-1994), Australian cricketer
- Bert Wright (figure skater), American ice dancer
- Bert Wright (footballer) (1920–2000), English footballer
- Bertie Wright (1871–1960), actor
- Bertie Wright (cricketer) (1897–1955), English cricketer
- Betsey Wright (born 1943), American political consultant
- Betty Wright (1953–2020), American singer
- Billy Wright (Australian footballer) (1900–1983), Australian footballer
- Billy Wright (basketball) (born 1974), American college basketball coach
- Billy Wright (boxer) (born 1964), American boxer, nicknamed "Bronco"
- Billy Wright (footballer, born 1900) (1917–?), English footballer with Bolton, Reading and Rouen
- Billy Wright (footballer, born 1924) (1924–1994), Wolverhampton Wanderers and England football captain
- Billy Wright (footballer, born 1931) (1931–2020), Blackpool, Leicester City, Newcastle football player
- Billy Wright (footballer, born 1958), Everton and Birmingham City centre-half
- Billy Wright (footballer, born 1962), New Zealand international footballer
- Billy Wright (football manager) (1903–1983), English football manager
- Billy Wright (loyalist) (1960–1997), Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary leader
- Billy Wright (musician) (1932–1991), blues singer
- Billy Pat Wright (born 1937), American Republican member of the Missouri House of Representatives
- Blanche Fisher Wright, illustrator
- Bonnie Wright, English actress, known for playing Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter Film series.
- Brad Wright (born 1961), TV writer
- Brad Wright (American football) (born 1959), American football player and coach
- Brad Wright (basketball) (born 1962), American basketball player
- Bradley Wright-Phillips (born 1985), English footballer
- Brian Wright (American football) (born 1960), American football coach and player
- Brian Wright (musician), recording artist on Sugar Hill Records
- Brian Wright (rugby league), Australian rugby league player
- Brian Wright (Scottish footballer) (born 1958), Scottish former football player and manager
- Brian Wright (soccer) (born 1995), Canadian soccer player
- Brian Wright (table tennis) (born 1943), English table tennis international
- Brian Wright (writer) (1918–2013), Australian writer, producer, and director
- Brian Brendan Wright (born c. 1947), Irish criminal involved in fixing horse races and drug trafficking
- Bryant Wright (21st Century), American evangelical minister
C
- C. Conrad Wright (Charles Wright, 1917–2011), American religious historian
- C. S. Wright (Charles Wright, 1887–1975), Canadian Antarctic explorer, knighted in 1946 for his WW2 scientific research
- Carl Wright (actor) (1932–2007), American tap dancer and actor
- Carl Wright (bishop) (born 1959), American Episcopal bishop
- Carl Wright (civil servant) (born 1950), British former director of the CTUG and Secretary-General of CLGF
- Carl Wright (cricketer) (born 1977), Jamaican-born American cricketer
- Carl P. Wright (1893–1961), Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party
- Carol Wright (The Only Way is Essex)
- Carol Lynn Wright (born 1939), birthname of Carol Lynn Pearson, American Mormon writer
- Carolyn Wright (born 1946), Australian high jumper
- Carolyn Wright (Chief Justice) (born 1946), Chief Justice of the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas
- Carolyn D. Wright (1949–2016), American poet
- Carroll D. Wright, American statistician
- Chalky Wright (1912–1957), American boxer
- Chauncey Wright, American philosopher and mathematician
- Chely Wright (born 1970), American singer
- Chris Wright (activist) (born 1957), American cannabis rights activist
- Chris Wright (anthropologist) (20th Century), British visual anthropologist
- Chris Wright (basketball, born 1988), American professional basketball player, University of Dayton college player
- Chris Wright (basketball, born 1989), American professional basketball player, Georgetown University college player
- Chris Wright (Big Brother) (born c.1981), British Big Brother contestant
- Chris Wright (Canadian football) (1972–2005), Canadian football player
- Chris Wright (cricketer) (born 1985), English cricketer
- Chris Wright (footballer) (born 1986), English footballer
- Chris Wright (music industry executive) (born 1944), British businessman, founder of Chrysalis
- Chris Wright (programmer) (21st Century), Linux kernel hacker
- Chris Wright (swimmer) (born 1988), Australian swimmer
- Chris Wright (technologist) (20th Century), founder of Soundscape Digital Technology
- Chris Wright (EastEnders), fictional character on BBC soap opera EastEnders
- Christopher Wright (born 1971), better known as C. W. Anderson, American professional wrestler
- Christopher Wright (archivist) (20th century), British academic
- Christopher Wright (author) (born 1964), American writer
- Christopher Wright (plotter) (c. 1570–1605), English conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot
- Christopher J. H. Wright (born 1947), Anglican clergyman and Old Testament scholar
- Cindy Wright (born 1972), Belgian-American painter
- Claire Wright (gymnast) (born 1979), British trampoline gymnast
- Claire Wright (politician), independent candidate in the 2019 United Kingdom General Election
- Claire Wright (water polo) (born 1994), Canadian water polo player
See also
- Clare Wright (born 1969), American Australian historian, author and broadcaster
- Clare Wright (born 1969), American Australian historian, author and broadcaster
- Claud William Wright (1917–2010), British amateur paleontologist and public servant
- Cliff Wright (illustrator) (born 1963), British artist and illustrator
- Cliff Wright (fighter) (born 1979), American mixed martial artist
- Cliff Wright (footballer) (born 1944), English footballer
- Clifford Wright (bishop) (1922–2014), Anglican bishop of Monmouth
- Clifford Wright (mayor) (1927–2014), mayor of Saskatoon, Canada
- Clyde Wright (born 1941), American baseball player
- Clyde J. Wright (1878–????), American editor and antisemite
- Cobina Wright (1887–1970), American singer, actress, and newspaper columnist
- Cobina Wright Jr. (1921–2011), American singer, actress and model
- Craig Wright (cricketer) (born 1974), Scottish cricketer
- Craig Wright (rugby union) (born 2004), English rugby union player
- Craig Wright (playwright) (born 1965), American playwright, television writer, and producer
- Craig M. Wright (born 1944), Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Music at Yale University
- Craig R. Wright (20th Century), American baseball writer and proponent of sabermetrics
- Craig Steven Wright (born 1970), Australian computer scientist, cryptocurrency investor and businessman
- Crispin Wright (born 1942), British philosopher
D
- Dale Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Dana Wright (born 1959), Canadian former hurdler
- Daniel Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Dare Wright, Canadian children's writer
- David Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Demetrius Wright, American football player
- Denny Wright, British guitarist
- Don Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Dorell Wright, American basketball player
- Doug Wright, American playwright
- Doug Wright II, Canadian cartoonist
- Doug Wright (cricketer), English cricketer
- Douglas E. Wright, Canadian horror writer
E
- E. M. Wright (1906–2005), British mathematician and coauthor of the "Hardy & Wright" number theory textbook
- Edgar Wright, English film director
- Edward Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Edwin M. Wright, American foreign relations expert
- Edythe Wright, American singer who recorded with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
- Elizabeth Oehlkers Wright, American translator
- Elizur Wright, abolitionist, American theorist of life insurance
- Eric Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Erik Olin Wright (1947–2019), American sociologist
- Ernest Vincent Wright, American writer
- Ethel Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Eugene Wright (born 1923), musician
F
- Farnsworth Wright (1888–1940), editor of Weird Tales
- Fielding L. Wright, American politician
- Finbar Wright (born 1957), Irish singer, songwriter, musician and poet
- Frances Wright (1795–1852), British-American lecturer
- Frank Edwin Wright III (aka Tré Cool, born 1972), German-born American drummer for the punk rock band Green Day
- Frank Lloyd Wright, architect
- Franz Wright (born 1953), poet
- Fred Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Freda Wright-Sorce, American radio personality
G
- G. V. Wright, Irish politician
- Gary Wright, American musician
- Georg Henrik von Wright (1916–2003), Finland-Swedish philosopher
- George Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Gertrude Baniszewski, American murderer, also known as Gertrude Wright
- Gillian Wright, British actress
- Ginny Wright, American singer
- Gordon Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Gregory Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
H
- Harold Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Harriet G. R. Wright, American politician
- Harry Wright, baseball player
- Helena Rosa Wright, pioneer in birth control
- Henry T. Wright, American archaeologist, National Geographic, University of Michigan
- Henry W. Wright
- Herbert Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Hiram A. Wright, American politician
- Horatio Wright, American general
I
- Ian Wright, English footballer and TV presenter
- Ian Wright (traveller), British traveller
- Iain Wright (born 1972), British politician
- Imogen Wright
- Irene Aloha Wright (1879–1972), American historian
- Isaac Wright
J
- J. Craig Wright (1929–2010), American lawyer and judge, justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
- J. Robert Wright (born 1936), American theologian and author
- J. Skelly Wright (1911–1988), American circuit and district judge
- Jackie Wright (c.1905–1989), British comedian
- Jackie Wright (footballer) (d.2005), English footballer
- Jaguar Wright, American singer
- Jake Wright, British football player
- James Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Jamey Wright, American baseball player
- Jamie Wright (born 1976), Canadian ice hockey player
- Janet Wright (1945–2016), Canadian actress
- Jaret Wright, American baseball player
- Jarvis T. Wright (1830–1886), American businessman and politician
- Jay Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Jeffrey Wright, American actor
- Jeremy Wright, English politician
- Jeremiah Wright, American pastor
- Jim Wright (1922–2015), American politician
- Joanne Goode (née Wright, born 1972), British badminton player
- Joanne Nicholas (née Wright, born 1977), British badminton player
- Jocky Wright (1873–1946), Scottish footballer
- Joe Wright, British film director (Pride & Prejudice and Atonement)
- John Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Johnnie Wright (1914–2011), American musician
- Johnny Wright (footballer), Northern Irish footballer
- Johnny Wright (music manager), American music act manager
- Jonathan B. Wright, American actor, songwriter
- José Roberto Wright, former Brazilian football (soccer) referee
- Joseph Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Joshua Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Judith Wright (1915–2000), Australian poet
- Julia McNair Wright (1840–1903), American writer
- Julia M. Wright, academic
- Justine Wright, film editor from New Zealand
K
- Katharine Wright, high school teacher; sister of Wilbur and Orville
- Katie Wright, American actress
- Keith Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Kenneth Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Kit Wright, English poet and children's author
- Kristy Wright, Australian actress
L
- L. R. Wright (1939–2001), Canadian writer
- Lawrence Wright, American author
- Laura Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Leo Wright, American jazz musician
- Liam Wright, Papua New Guinean basketball player
- Liza Wright, American politician
- Lloyd Wright, architect
- Lorenzen Wright (1975–2010), basketball player
- Lorenzo Wright, American athlete
- Louis Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Lucilla Wright, English field hockey player
- Luke Edward Wright, American politician
- Luke Wright, English cricketer
- Luther Wright, former basketball player
- Lyle Wright, United States Hockey Hall of fame inductee
M
- Manuel Wright, American football player
- Marc Wright (1890–1975), American pole vaulter
- Margaret Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Marian Wright Edelman (born 1939), American lawyer and founder of the Children's Defense Fund
- Marie Robinson Wright (1853–1914), American journalist, traveler, historian, author
- Mark Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Martha Griffiths, American lawyer, also known as Martha Edna Wright
- Martin Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- The Boogeyman (wrestler) (Martin Wright, born 1964), American wrestler
- Matthew Wright (disambiguation)
- Mauricio Wright, Costa Rican soccer player
- Max Wright (1943–2019), American actor
- Max Wright (Australian footballer) (1901–1988), Australian footballer
- Micah Wright, American writer
- Michael Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Mickey Wright, American golfer
- Mike Wright (American football), American football player
- Milton Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Muriel H. Wright (1889–1975), American author and historian, granddaughter of Choctaw Nation chief, Allen Wright
N
- N. T. Wright, English theologian and prolific writer
- Nate Wright, American football player
- Nathan Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
O
- O. V. Wright (1939–1980), American singer
- Orville Wright (1871–1948), American airplane inventor
P
- Pamela Payton-Wright (1941–2019), American actress
- Patrick Wright (historian), British cultural studies academic
- Patrick Wright, Baron Wright of Richmond, British diplomat
- Pete Wright (musician), bass player for the band Crass from 1977 until 1984
- Peter Coleman-Wright (born 1958), Australian baritone opera singer
- Peter Wright (disambiguation), multiple people, including:
- Peter Wright (MI5 officer) (1916–1995), English counterintelligence officer, Spycatcher author
- Peter Wright (ceramicist) (1919–2003), English ceramic artist
- Peter Wright (Jesuit) (1603–1651), English Jesuit and martyr
- Peter Wright (rugby league), Australian rugby league footballer
- Peter Wright (rugby union), Scottish rugby union footballer and coach
- Philemon Wright, Canadian farmer
- Phillip Wright, Australian pastoralist and philanthropist, chancellor of the University of New England
Q
- Quincy Wright, American political scientist
R
- Ralph Wright, American animator, storyboard writer and voice actor
- Randy Wright, American football player
- Rasty Wright (outfielder) (1863–1922), American baseball player
- Rebecca Wright, American ballet teacher
- Richard Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Robin Wright (author), Washington Post staff writer
- Robin Wright (born 1966), American actress
- Roger Wright (music administrator) (born 1956), British music administrator
- Roger Wright (born 1974), American pianist
- Ronald Wright, Canadian writer
- Ronald Selby Wright, Church of Scotland minister
- Roy Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Ruby Wright (big band-era singer) (1914–2004), American singer and songwriter
- Ruby Wright (country singer) (1939–2009), American country music singer-songwriter
- Ruggles Wright, Canadian lumber merchant
S
- Samuel E. Wright, American actor
- Sarah Wright, American actress
- Sarah E. Wright, American writer
- Scooby Wright III (born 1994), American football player
- Sewall Wright (1889–1988), biologist
- Shannon Wright, American singer-songwriter
- Shaun Wright-Phillips (born 1981), English footballer
- Silas Wright (fl. 1840s), American politician
- Simon Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Simon Wright (musician), Australian drummer
- Simon Wright (politician), British Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament
- Sophie Wright (disambiguation), multiple people, including:
- Sophie B. Wright, 1866–1912), American educator
- Sophie Wright (chef), British chef
- Specs Wright (Charles Wright, 1927–1963), American jazz drummer
- Stanton Macdonald-Wright, American painter
- Stephen Wright (English footballer), English footballer
- Stephen Wright (writer), American writer
- Steve Wright (DJ), English broadcaster
- Steve Wright (serial killer) (born 1958), British serial killer
- Steven Wright (born 1955), comedian
- Stevie Wright
- Stuart Wright, English rugby league player
- Susan Barrantes, mother of Sarah, Duchess of York; also known as Susan Mary Wright
- Susan Webber Wright, American judge
- Susanna Wright, American poet
- Sydney Fowler Wright, English writer
- Syreeta Wright, American singer-songwriter
T
- Teresa Wright, American actress
- Terry Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Theodore Wright, British soldier
- Theodore Paul Wright, American aeronautical engineer
- Theodore S. Wright, African-American abolitionist
- Thomas Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Timothy Wright, American gospel singer, and pastor
- T. M. Wright, American writer
- Todd Wright, American sports broadcaster
- Tom Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Tommy Wright (disambiguation), multiple people
- Trey Wright (born 1974), American pianist
- Turbutt Wright (1741–1783), American planter and politician
- Tyler Wright, Canadian ice hockey player
V
- Victoria Wright (born 1976), female badminton player from France
W
- Wallace Wright (footballer), Scottish footballer
- Wallace Duffield Wright, British soldier
- Warren Wright (1893–1962), American politician
- Whitaker Wright, English businessman
- Wilbur Wright (1867–1912), American airplane inventor
- Wilmer Cave Wright (1868–1951), British-born American classical philologist
- Winky Wright, American boxer
- The Wright brothers (Wilbur and Orville Wright), airplane inventors
Fictional entities
- Pastor Leon Wright, a character in The Returned (U.S. TV series)
- Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney in the Ace Attorney video game series
- Seth Wright, press secretary in Netflix's 2016 series Designated Survivor
- Trucy Wright, a character in the Ace Attorney video game series
- Vivian Wright, a character in the Dream Team TV series
See also
- Cartwright (disambiguation)
- Sophie B. Wright Charter School
- S. S. Van Dine, American writer, also known as Willard Huntington Wright
- Von Wright
- Wainwright (disambiguation)
- Wheelwright (disambiguation)
- Wright (disambiguation)
References
- ^ a b c Wright Surname at Forebears
- ^ Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. ISBN 0-87779-338-7.
- ^ Harrison, Henry (1969). Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary. Vol. 2. Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 311.
- ^ Worshipful Company of Wheelwrights
- ^ "Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Edition, Version 4.0 (Windows & Mac)".
- ^ Incorporation of Wrights of the Trades House of Glasgow
- ^ Incorporation of Wrights and Masons of Edinburgh Trades
- ^ MacIntyre at Scotweb Clan
- ^ MacIntyre Clan myth
- ^ Clan MacIntyre Association
- ^ http://www.libraryireland.com/names/maca/mac-an-cheairt.php