Carlisle
A locational surname taken from the city of Carlisle in Cumbria, England.
The #1,763 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,161 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Carlisle is a habitational surname from the English city of Carlisle in Cumbria. The place-name is ancient, with roots in Brittonic and later Old English/Latin forms; its exact earliest meaning is debated, but the surname itself simply means “from Carlisle.” In surnames, the place-name was adopted by people who had moved away from the city or who were identified with it.
History
The surname appears as one of the many English locational names formed from a prominent town or city. Historical surname dictionaries treat Carlisle and the related spelling Carlyle as the same place-based name. Because Carlisle was an important border city, the surname naturally spread beyond Cumberland through migration, trade, and later emigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is closely associated with the same border city that gave its name to the famous Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle’s family spelling.
From the historical record
“however local. CARLISLE. CARLYLE. The city in Cumberland. CARLOS. CARLOSS. A corruption of Carolus, Charles. CARLTON. CARLETON. The Eng- lish gazetteer shows twenty-two parishes, townships, &c. so called, and there are many others. Lord Dorchester's family deduce from Carleton, co. Cumberland.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom