Corbett
A surname with Norman roots, likely originally referring to a descendant or follower of a man called Corbet.
The #1,346 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,764 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Corbett is usually explained as a Norman-French surname from Corbet, a diminutive form of an old personal name or nickname built on the Old French word corb, meaning “raven.” In that sense, the name may have begun as a byname meaning something like “little raven” or “raven-like.” Some sources also treated it as a Norman family name that was brought into England after the Conquest.
History
The name appears in medieval English records and was long associated with Norman origin. In Britain and Ireland it later produced spelling variants such as Corbet and Corbitt, and in some cases it was simplified or altered to Cobbett. The surname is also well established in Ireland, where some bearers may reflect later English or Scottish settlement rather than a separate Gaelic origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The raven connection is a common feature of several medieval surnames built from corb/corbe- roots, because birds and nicknames were a rich source of medieval bynames.
From the historical record
“Corbett, Corbitt, Corbet— I Local. Said to be of Normati extraction. Lower aaya tquoling Courthope's Debretl), 'Corbet, a noble Nonnan, came into England”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances