Show ContentsCulbreth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change, including many immigrants with new names. Among these were the ancestors of the Culbreth family, whose name comes from the Norman first name Colbert or Culbert, which arrived in England in the 11th century.

Early Origins of the Culbreth family

The surname Culbreth was first found in Cheshire and Lancashire where they were granted lands by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Culbreth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Culbreth research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1205, 1500 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Culbreth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Culbreth Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Culbert, Colbert, Culbertson, Colbertson, Culberts, Colberts, Coulbert, Culbart, Culbirt and many more.

Early Notables of the Culbreth family

More information is included under the topic Early Culbreth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Culbreth Ranking

In the United States, the name Culbreth is the 7,844th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Culbreth family to Ireland

Some of the Culbreth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Culbreth migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Culbreth or a variant listed above:

Culbreth Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Marion Culbreth, who arrived in New York in 1739 2
  • Merran Culbreth, who landed in New York in 1739 2
Culbreth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Archibald Culbreth, aged 60, who landed in North Carolina in 1812 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Culbreth (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Culbreth (1786-1843), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates, 1813; U.S. Representative from Maryland 7th District, 1817-21; State Court Judge in Maryland, 1822 3
  • Sharon Culbreth, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Idaho, 2008 3
  • E. E. Culbreth, American politician, Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, 1923-31 3
  • C. C. Culbreth, American Republican politician, Chair of Cumberland County Republican Party, 1952 3


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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