CUBITT
Cubitt is a surname of English origin, recorded in various forms throughout history. Its earliest associations are with the county of Norfolk, an area whose dialect was at times described as distinct from the standard English spoken elsewhere.
The name is thought to derive from the Old English word cubitt, a term that referred to a measure of length. In some cases it may have served as a nickname for a person of short stature, or for a carpenter or surveyor whose work required precise measurement and cutting of timber.
Historical records show the surname in a number of spellings, including Cubit, Cubitt and Cupitt. These variations appear in documents from as early as the 13th century and have persisted into modern times, with bearers of the name found in England and Australia.
The earliest known reference is that of Geoffrey Cobet in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1273, a record compiled during the reign of King Edward the First. Subsequent entries include Benedict Cubitt, who served as bailiff of Yarmouth in 1566, and a series of London registrations in the 18th century, such as Barbara Cubit marrying Benjamin Barber at St George’s Chapel, Hanover Square, in 1739, and Thomas Cubitt marrying Mary Gray at the same church in 1756.
Canon C. W. Bardsley, a prominent Victorian etymologist, identified the surname as a dialectal East Anglian form of the name Jacob, through the nickname “Cob or Cobb,” combined with the diminutive suffix –et, a short form of “petit.” This construction would give the meaning “Little Cob” or “son of Cob.” A similar derivation is attested for the surnames Cobbett and Cobbet, which are widely recorded in the same region.
While some have speculated that Cubitt might be linked to the biblical measurement of a cubit, roughly half a yard, there is no substantive proof to support this theory. The evidence points more convincingly to the name’s origin in local dialect and its use as a patronymic or descriptive nickname within Norfolk and its surroundings.
In contemporary times the surname continues to be borne by individuals across the United Kingdom and in other parts of the world, notably in Australia, where historic migrations have carried English surnames overseas.
Typical given names associated with the Cubitt surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- Hamish
- Ian
- Jack
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Simon
- William
Female
- Alice
- Ann
- Carol
- Elizabeth
- Gillian
- Lesley
- Margaret
- Mary
- Rachel
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Cubitt in...
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There are approximately 1,314 people named Cubitt in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,957th most common surname in Britain. Around 20 in a million people in Britain are named Cubitt.
Famous people named Cubitt
- Roland Cubitt, 3rd Baron Ashcombe - Baron (1899 to 1962)
- Henry Cubitt, 2nd Baron Ashcombe - Politician (1867 to 1947)
- Henry Cubitt, 4th Baron Ashcombe - Peer (1924 to 2013)
- Thomas Cubitt - Master builder in London (1788 to 1855)
- Thomas Cubitt - Army general (1871 to 1939)
- Joseph Cubitt - Civil engineer (1811 to 1872)
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.