Carte History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The origins of the Carte name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in an inhospitable or barren area. Carte is derived from an Old English word meaning dwellers of the rough ground.
Early Origins of the Carte family
The surname Carte was first found in Somerset. "The ancient and distinguished Somersetshire and Devonshire families of Cart apparently, in most cases, hailed from the Carys of Castle Cary, a knightly Somersetshire family of the 14th century. In the reign of Edward I. De Cari and De Cary were still Somersetshire names, and evidently their first representatives took the names of places in the county." 1
Apart from the aforementioned, Wiltshire was also home to the family as William Cart, was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire in 1176. 2
Early History of the Carte family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carte research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1641, 1653, 1686, 1740 and 1754 are included under the topic Early Carte History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Carte Spelling Variations
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Carte were recorded, including Cart, Carte, Carta and others.
Early Notables of the Carte family
Distinguished members of the family include
- Samuel Carte (1653-1740), an English divine and antiquary, born at Coventry in 1653 and educated at the grammar school of that town and at Magdalen College, Oxford
- Hi son, Thomas Carte (also John Carte) (1686-1754), was an English historian, well known for his controversy with Dr Henry Chandler regarding the Irish massacre of 1641, during the English Civil War...
Carte Ranking
In the United States, the name Carte is the 13,563rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3
Migration of the Carte family to Ireland
Some of the Carte family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Carte migration to the United States +
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Carte family emigrate to North America:
Carte Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Gilleon Carte, who landed in Virginia in 1705 4
- J. J. Carte, who settled in New England in 1793 with his wife and two sons
Carte Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Manuel Carte, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1820 4
- James Carte, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1848
Carte Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Pit Carte, who landed in Arkansas in 1904 4
Carte migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Carte Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- William Carte, a carpenter, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Carte migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Carte Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- John Carte, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863
Contemporary Notables of the name Carte (post 1700) +
- Wilbur L. Carte, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Charleston, West Virginia, 1967; Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Kanawha County, 1968 5
- Alice Marie Carte, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Fayette County, 1962 5
- Dame Bridget Cicely D'Oyly Carte DBE (1908-1985), English hotelier and theatre owner, the only daughter of Rupert D'Oyly Carte, granddaughter of impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte
- Rupert D'Oyly Carte (1876-1948), English hotelier, theatre owner and impresario, son of Richard D'Oyly Carte
- Richard D'Oyly Carte (1844-1901), English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier, he founded the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and built the Savoy Theatre
- Helen Carte (1852-1913), née Lenoir, Scottish-born, second wife of impresario and hotelier Richard D'Oyly Carte
Citations +
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html