Culbert is a name that seems to have originated in Europe. Early records on origins have not been found. Thus, future DNA research may be the only method for suggesting origins.
The surname Culbert may stem from Culbheart, which is said 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”. [2] [3] [4] [5] However, Culbert is not of Gaelic origin, and research to date suggests that Ireland is not an origin for Culbert, but a transitory place for families migrating from elsewhere. In Ireland, MacLysaght [6] states that the surname Culbert is of Huguenot origin, and is found mainly in Ireland’s northern province of Ulster. As a researcher in the origins of the Culbert surname I have found no evidence of a Huguenot origin for Ireland’s Culbert families.
In Scotland, Culbert is considered a variant of Colbert, derived from the Old English Ceolbeorht, and found in County Fife according to Black. [7]
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. The Culbert surname is also closely related to Culbertson and Culberson, which mean son of Culbert.
My Research Findings and Speculations
The oldest Culbert record I have found to date is for Mutton Culbert, who married Alice Legge on 27 Mar 1554 at St. Nicholas, Ipswich, Suffolk, England. [1] In Scotland, the earliest records I have found for a Culbert date from 1715, and in Ireland, from 1749.
As a result of my research on the Culbert surname, I have come to believe that those who bore the Culbert name in Ireland, and those other closely related names, came originally from Scotland. Despite traditions indicating that these immigrants to Ireland were of Covenanter stock that came from Scotland in the late 1600s, it is more likely that the Cuthbertsons from Scotland settled in Ireland in a much earlier time, and they were the ancestors of many of the later Irish Culbertsons. In Ireland, I have found that the Culbert, Culbertson and Cuthbertson surnames are sometimes used interchangeably. During a time when literacy was not common, these changes can be expected.
One researcher told me a story about Culbert origins in Ireland, which has been passed down in her family. As the story goes, a Culbert (or more likely a Colbert) from France, possibly named Eugene, was on a French naval ship that was sunk in a battle with the British off the northwest coast of Ireland (in the region of County Donegal). This seaman was able to swim to the coast in the fog, was held captive for awhile, and was later released. He settled in Ireland and never returned to France. [8]
References
- International Genealogical Index, Marriage of Mutton Culbert & Alice Legge (1554), Patron ordinance submission sheets, 1969-1991, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FHL Film No. 0820453.
- http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=cuthbert&searchmode=none
- http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bright
- http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Cuthbert
- http://www.behindthename.com/name/cuthbert
- Edward MacLysaght, 1999, The Surnames of Ireland, 6th Ed., Irish Academic Press, Dublin, Ireland and Portland, Oregon, USA
- 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
- Story provided by Debbie Camejo [Email: deb at camejo.com] in April 2001.
