Boatright
An occupational surname for a boat builder or ship carpenter.
The #6,062 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 54,558 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Boatright is an occupational surname built from Middle English boat and wright, meaning a maker or craftsman. In older spellings, the same name appears as Botwright or Boatwright, and it originally referred to someone who built boats or small vessels. The element wright is the same old English word seen in names like Cartwright and Wheelwright.
History
The surname was recorded in medieval and early modern forms such as Botwrythe and Boatwright, showing that the spelling has varied for centuries. Boatright is especially common in the United States in the shortened, simplified spelling, while Boatwright remains the more transparent older form. The name belongs to the broad group of English craft surnames that became hereditary over time.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The old word wright simply meant a maker or worker, which is why Boatright is linguistically close to surnames like Wheelwright and Arkwright.
From the historical record
“Boatwright, Botwright, Boatright— Occup. <the boat- wright,* a ship-carpenter, a boat- builder. ' Botwry the, botewright, navicuiarius' I Prompt. Parv. John Botewright or Botewryth, master”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)