CHARTERS
Charters is a surname of dual provenance, drawing upon both English and French linguistic traditions. The name is recorded in the British Isles from the late twelfth century, and it has been associated with legal and administrative roles within Christian communities.
The occupational explanation of the surname derives from the Old French word chartre, meaning a charter or legal document. In the medieval period a scribe or clerk who prepared such documents could have been identified by this designation. Over time the occupational identifier became hereditary, passing down through generations and suggesting a family's long‑standing link to bureaucratic work.
Another strand of the surname's origin is locational. The French town of Chartres has been cited as a source, with early Scottish records from around 1180 showing surnames such as carnatto and carnoto – a reference to the Carnutes tribe that once inhabited the area. A figure named Walter de Carnoto is noted for donating two churches to the abbey of Kelso during that period. The name evolved into an Anglicised form, Charters (and variants such as Charteris), in Scotland by the mid thirteenth century, as seen in the grant of the wardship of Amysfield to a person called charteris.
An alternative Anglo‑Saxon derivation situates the surname in the place called Chatteris in Cambridgeshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the settlement as cetriz, a name meaning Ceatta's ridge. This locational link is supported by later records, such as the christening of Christopher Charteris at St. Lawrence Jewry, London, on 2 February 1644. The earliest surviving spelling of the name appears in the Sussex Pipe Rolls of 1179, as Alcher de Chartris, during the reign of King Henry XI, who ruled from 1154‑1189 and was noted for his extensive church building.
Thus, the surname Charters encapsulates a confluence of occupational, locational, and linguistic histories that stretch across Norman influences, Anglo‑Saxon settlements, and the Christian administrative structures of medieval Britain. The name’s persistence into the modern era reflects the enduring legacy of these historical connections.
Typical given names associated with the Charters surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- William
Female
- Alison
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jane
- Julie
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Rachel
- Rosalind
- Sarah
- Susan
- Tracy
Similar and related surnames
- Chartres
- Charter
- Charder
- Charitar
- Charitra
- Charmer
- Charmers
- Chartas
- Chartell
- Charteres
- Charteress
- Charteries
- Charteris
- Charterton
- Chartes
- Chartier
- Charties
- Chartrain
- Chartrey
- Chartris
- Charts
- Chartterton
- Chater
- Chaters
- Chatters
- Chauter
- Chayters
- Cheaters
- Chorters
- Schartau
- Schartner
- Sharter
- Shorter
- Shorters
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Charters in...
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Charters are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Chocolate Hobnob.
There are approximately 1,858 people named Charters in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,469th most common surname in Britain. Around 29 in a million people in Britain are named Charters.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Charters
- James Christian Charters - Musician
- Frank Charters - Cricketer (1884 to 1953)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.