Caret History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Caret comes from the family having resided in or near to the charity, which was either a dispensary of charity or a hospital that was connected to the church. The surname has Latin origins in the form of Caritatem, which means kindness, generosity and humanity.

Early Origins of the Caret family

The surname Caret was first found in Yorkshire where the Close Rolls, 3 Edward I (during the third year of King Edward I's reign) listed: William de la Charity and J. John Charite. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Ricardus Charyte; Willelmus Charite; and Thomas Charite. 1

Early History of the Caret family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caret research. Another 222 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1148, 1185, 1195, 1203, 1379, 1422, 1436, 1500, 1502, 1612 and 1642 are included under the topic Early Caret History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caret Spelling Variations

Caret has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Charity, Caritet, Carite, Charite, Charyte, Charitie and many more.

Early Notables of the Caret family

Notables of the family at this time include William Charite (1422-1502), the Prior of St. Mary's Abbey in Leicestershire. He was a monkish writer who compiled a register of St. Mary's Abbey, Leicester. "The register ('Rentale Novum Generale Mon. B. M. de Pratis Leycestrie') contains the rent-roll of the abbey...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Caret Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caret migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Carets to arrive on North American shores:

Caret Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Urbain Caret, aged 30, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 2
Ygnace Caret, aged 36, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1785 2
Marie Rose Caret, aged 32, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1785 2

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)