Carty
An Irish surname, usually a shortened form of MacCarthy, meaning “son of Carthach.”
The #5,497 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 48,760 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Carty is generally understood as an Anglicized form of the Irish MacCarthy family name, itself from Mac Carthaigh. The underlying personal name is Carthach, commonly explained as meaning “loving” or “charitable,” though early authorities sometimes gave broader or less certain glosses. In practice, Carty is a shortened surname form that arose from the wider MacCarthy name in English spelling and pronunciation.
History
Irish records and surname dictionaries often treat Carty as a reduced form of MacCarthy rather than a separate origin. It is found especially in Ireland and in Irish diaspora communities, where shorter anglicized spellings became common. 19th- and early-20th-century surname scholars also regularly grouped Carty with Carthy and related forms as variants of the same Gaelic surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname studies often treat Carty as one of several spellings that cluster around the same Gaelic family name, which is why it appears alongside Carthy and McCarthy in historical indexes.
From the historical record
“CART WRIGHT. See under Wright. CARTY. The Irish M'Carthy. CARVER. The occupation. CARVETH. Carverth or Carveth, an estate in the parish of Mabe, co. Cornwall, The family originally bore the name of Thorns. " Those gentlemen, from living at Carveth or Carverth in Mabe, were trans- nominated from Thoms to Carverth…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom