Culbert


Culbert is a personal name that seems to have originated in Europe. The earliest records for this surname are found in England, Scotland, and Ireland. The use of surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England, heritable surnames started to form in the 11th century, and were common in most areas by 1400. The Poll Tax introduced in England in the 14th Century is probably the first time this common usage of surnames was documented.

Culbert Origins

A specific origin for this name is not known, however it does not appear to be derived from a place, nor from an occupation, two common sources for peoples' names.
The following references suggest that Culbert may be derived from other names that describe a person's character. For example, Culbert may stem from Culbheart, which is a Gaelic form meaning "crafty". However, Culbert is not a Gaelic name. It is possible the earliest Culberts in Ireland came there from Scotland and England as a result of the creation of the Plantations of Ulster in the early 1600s. The earliest Culbert record found to date in Ireland is for James Culbert, born in 1651.
Also, crafty is related to "wisdom," and this suggests a possible connection with the surname Cuthbert, a name from the Anglo Saxon, which means "famous, bright, of clear skill or knowledge". It is also believed by some researchers that Culbert is derived from Cutbert. This earlier spelling is very similar to Cuthbert and Cuthbertson, one reason for the close relationship between these surnames. The surname is also closely related to Culbertson and Culberson, which mean son of Culbert.
With regards to claims of origin, MacLysaght states that the surname Culbert is of Huguenot origin, and is found mainly in Ireland's northern province of Ulster. However, no record has yet been found to document that any Culbert was a Huguenot or a Huguenot descendant.
In Scotland, Culbert is considered a variant of Colbert, derived from the Anglo-Saxon Ceolberht/Ceolbeorht. They suggest Culbert is a personal name dating from the 700s in England, however, no actual records have been found in England for another 850 years.
Also for England, one heraldry-relate website claims that Culbert is one of the names of people who migrated there from Normandy following the Norman Conquest, and that Culbert has been found in the Counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Unfortunately, these records also have not been uncovered. The earliest Culbert found in FamilySearch records for Cheshire is William Culbert b. bef. 1706, and for Lancashire is Thomas Culbert b. bef. 1764. The oldest Culbert record found to date anywhere is for Mutton Culbert, who married Alice Legge on 27 Mar 1554 at St. Nicholas, Ipswich, Suffolk, England.
The earliest home of a Culbertson so far found is located in the County of Roxburg, Scotland, at a small village named Morebattle, eight miles south of Kelso. Here Culbertson people have reportedly lived continuously since the year 1400 AD. This is in the Lowlands and is about five miles from the Cheviot Hills, which form the boundary between Scotland and England.

Culbert Distribution

As migrations from Europe became more common in the 19th and 20th Centuries, Culbert people have spread from Europe and have now become more predominant in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For example, in the 1881 Census of the United Kingdom, 91 Culbert individuals were indexed, compared to 256 individuals in the 1881 Canada Census, and compared to 620 individuals in the 1880 U.S. Federal Census.
In 2000, the surname Culbert was ranked 12,650 in terms of the most common surnames in the United States, with 2,244 occurrences in the 2000 U.S. Federal Census. The racial/ethnic breakdown included nearly 77 percent White, almost 20 percent Black, a little more than 2 percent Hispanic, about 1 percent Non-Hispanic of two or more races, and minor amounts of Asian and Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native.
An extract of an Office of National Statistics database containing a list of surnames in use in England, Wales and the Isle of Mann in September 2002 suggests that Culbert was ranked 13,686, with 389 occurrences.

People

Culbert is used as both a given name and as a surname, as in the following examples of persons:
The following places and objects carrying the name Culbert have been identified to date. Their geographic diversity indicates the geographic diversity of Culbert people.
THE BAHAMAS
Culbert's Hill, Winton Heights, New Providence area, Nassau
Culbert's Bay, southeastern New Providence, Nassau
CANADA
Culbert Fuels,, Burk's Falls, Ontario, Canada
Wendy Culbert Cres, Newmarket, Ontario L3X0E9
Culbert Drive, Woodstock, New Brunswick E7M1N9
1000 801 Culbert, Anjou, Quebec Canada H1J2G5
U.K.
Culbert, Cornwall, England, U.K.
Culbert Avenue, Didsbury, Manchester, England, U.K. M20 6HB
Culbert Lodge, near Eland Street, New Basford, Nottinghamshire, England, U.K.
Culbert's Court, located in the middle of Little York Street, Belfast
Culbert Street, Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, U.K.
U.S.A.
Culbert Hollow Spring, Cherokee, Alabama 35616
There is, or at least was, a Culbert County, Alabama, containing Sheffield and Muscle Shoals
Culbert Street, Livingston, Sumter County, Alabama
Culbert Street in Phoenix, Arizona
Culbert Street, Little Rock, Arkansas
Culbert P.O., Randolph Co., Georgia.
Culbert Street, Bainbridge, Decatur County, Georgia
Culbert Mine, Upson County, Georgia, U.S.A., c. 1943
Double Culbert Cemetery, Fayette County, Kentucky
Culbert Zeigler Cemetery, 25197 Zeigler Cemetery Road, Livingston, Louisiana
Culbert Street in Matapan, Massachusetts.
Culbert Place in Roxbury Crossing, Massachusetts. Found in Boston City Directories from1872-1915, when it was changed to Vitale Place.
Culbert Drive, Hastings, Michigan 49058
Culbert Road, between Hillsdale and Hudson, Hillsdale County, Michigan.
Culbert Road, Moss Point, Jackson County, Mississippi
Culbert Lake,, south of Wade, Jackson County, Mississippi
Culbert Street in New York City, New York
Culbert's Hotel on Buffalo Avenue in the LaSalle neighborhood of Niagara Falls, New York
Culbert Street in Syracuse, New York
Culbert Street, Mount Airy, Surry County, North Carolina
Culbert school-house; located 2 miles east of Centerville, PA.
Culbert Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Culbert Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Culbert Branch Missionary Baptist Church, 647 Elko Street, Williston, South Carolina. 266-4252
Culbert Beverage Company, Aberdeen, South Dakota; bottled ROBO drinks
Culbert Avenue, Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County, South Dakota
South Culbert Avenue, Tea, South Dakota 57064
Culbert Drive, Marion, Virginia
Ken Culbert Lane, Purcellville, Loudoun County Virginia
Other Culbert Names
A bark, the M. H. Culbert, which operated at least from 1866-1867