Show ContentsCarteret History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Carteret

What does the name Carteret mean?

The name Carteret reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Carteret family lived in Normandy, where they were the seigneurs of Carteret, near Barneville, in the arrondissement of Valognes. They lived there before the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century. 1

Early Origins of the Carteret family

The surname Carteret was first found in Normandy, where this distinguished family held a family seat in the arrondisement of Valognes from ancient times.

The name is found early in Jersey. "Its seigneur took part in the Conquest of England, 1066. The Jersey family left the parent stock in the reign of Philip Augustus, and another descendant was created Lord Carteret in England." 2

The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III listed Philip de Cartaret; John de Carteret; and Geoffrey de Carteret, Jersey as all living in Jersey at that time.

Some of the family were found on Sark (or Serk) a small island about 6 miles from Guernsey. "In 1565, Queen Elizabeth granted it in fee-farm, by letters-patent under the great seal, to Hilary de Carteret, Esq., by the twentieth part of a knight's fee." 3

Early History of the Carteret family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carteret research. Another 304 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1035, 1066, 1096, 1129, 1155, 1159, 1272, 1307, 1584, 1596, 1599, 1608, 1609, 1610, 1617, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1643, 1650, 1663, 1665, 1670, 1672, 1673, 1679, 1680, 1690, 1693, 1715, 1725 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Carteret History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carteret Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Carteret family name include Carteret, Cartrett, Carteraye, Cartaret and many more.

Early Notables of the Carteret family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir Philip Carteret (1584-1643), the first Governor of Jersey (1665-1673.)
  • Vice Admiral Sir George Carteret, 1st Baronet (c.1610-1680), was a Royalist statesman in Jersey and England; Sir Philip Carteret, 2nd Baronet (c. 1650-1693), was the 5th Seigneur of Sark (1663-1693)...

Carteret Ranking

In France, the name Carteret is the 9,574th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 4


Carteret migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Carteret family to immigrate North America:

Carteret Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James Carteret, who settled in Carolina in 1622
  • Hugh Carteret, who settled in South Carolina in 1671
  • Peter Carteret, who arrived in Carolina sometime between 1650 and 1699
Carteret Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Nicholas Carteret, who settled in Maine in 1763
  • Edward Carteret, who settled in Maine in 1763

Carteret migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Carteret Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • George Carteret, who settled in Canada in 1643

Contemporary Notables of the name Carteret (post 1700) +

  • Antoine Bénédict Carteret, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 5
  • The Rt Rev George Frederick Cecil de Carteret DD (1886-1932), Anglican Bishop of Jamaica from 1916 until 1931
  • Henry Frederick Carteret PC (1735-1826), 1st Baron Carteret, a British politician
  • Anna Carteret (b. 1942), British stage and screen actress
  • Philip Carteret (1733-1796), Seigneur of Trinity, British naval officer and explorer, participant in two circumnavigation expeditions in 1764-1766 and 1766-1769
  • Sir Philip Carteret Silvester (1777-1828), English captain in the Royal Navy, son of Rear-admiral Philip Carteret, the circumnavigator


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Antoine Carteret. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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