Straight
An English nickname surname for someone noted for being upright, straight-backed, or otherwise physically straight.
The #7,708 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,685 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally understood as coming from Middle English straight, meaning "straight," "erect," or "upright." In surname use it likely began as a nickname for a person with a straight posture or tall, upright build. Some older writers also suggested a link with a draper’s measuring stick or other occupational sense, but the nickname explanation is the clearest and most widely repeated.
History
The name is recorded in English surname tradition as a descriptive byname rather than a place-name. It is less common than related forms such as Strait or Straker, which appear in older surname collections with similar senses of straightness or uprightness. Modern bearers are mainly found in English-speaking countries, especially the United States and the United Kingdom.
Origin
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Fun fact
Older surname writers sometimes glossed the name as simply meaning "erect in person."
From the historical record
“STRAHAK See Strachan. STRAIGHT. Erect in person. STRAITH. Probably the Celtic topo- graphical word strath, meaning " the con- joint valley of two confluent streams," or, more loosely, any band or level of low ground between two ridges of hill or moun- tain. Gaz. Scotl. The word is .specifically applied to a i^arish…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom