Cable
An English surname that likely began as a short form of Caple or Capel, and may in some cases also reflect the medieval personal name Cabel.
The #3,716 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,346 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest dictionary lead treats Cable as probably the same as Caple or Capel, both surnames ultimately connected with a medieval place-name or saint-name source. Another older explanation found in Bardsley takes it as a patronymic from the personal name Cabel, a variant of the widespread medieval name Cuboid/Cubold-type forms. Because the historical record is not perfectly clear, Cable is best understood as a name with more than one possible English origin, both rooted in medieval usage.
History
Early records place the name in eastern England, with Bardsley citing a thirteenth-century Adam Cabel in Norfolk. The surname later appears in London parish registers in the 1500s and 1600s, showing that it had spread beyond its likely regional base. Modern bearers are found mainly in English-speaking countries, especially the United States and Britain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley and Lower do not fully agree on the surname’s origin, which is a nice reminder that some old surnames have more than one plausible explanation.
From the historical record
“colnshire. CABLE. Probably the same as Caple or Capel. CABOT. See Chabot. CADBURY. Two parishes in co. So- merset. CADBY, Cadeby, places in cos. Leices- ter and York. CADE. See illustrations of this name”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom