CUTTING
Cutting is an English surname that finds its roots in the Old English word cyttan, which means “to cut”. As such, it is primarily an occupational name, most likely given to individuals whose profession involved cutting material – for example, a cutter or tailor who dealt with cloth, a woodcutter, or a stonecutter working in medieval workshops.
In addition to its occupational sense, the surname developed through the use of the personal name Cutha combined with the suffix -ing, which in Old English generally signified “son of” or “family of”. Thus Cutting may also have been applied to those belonging to the lineage of a man named Cutha. Over time, regional pronunciation and spelling variations produced forms such as Cutten, Cuttin, Cutton, and the patronymic Cuttings.
Another avenue of the name’s development is its connection to the early medieval personal name Cuthbert, which itself evolved from the even older form Cudbeort. These names were popular in the north of England and parts of Scotland, in part due to the veneration of St Cuthbert. The suffixes -en, -in, or -ing may have been applied to create diminutives meaning “little Cuth” or “son of Cuth”, and this process contributed to the variety of spellings seen for the surname.
The earliest documented instance of the name in English record books is that of William Cutting, whose name appears in the pipe rolls of the county of Norfolk in 1221, during the reign of King Henry III. Subsequent 17th‑century records mention a John Cutting, master of the ship Francis that sailed to New England from Ipswich in 1634, and a John Cuttin and his wife Lidia who witnessed a christening at St Mary Whitechapel in London in 1641.
Geographically, the surname is most strongly associated with the county of Norfolk, though it also appears in historical documents from Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, and Yorkshire. In contemporary times, the name remains most prevalent in the United Kingdom, particularly within Norfolk. Genealogical databases indicate that individuals bearing the surname Cutting can now be found worldwide, especially in the United States and Australia, a distribution pattern that reflects historical migration flows.
In sum, the surname Cutting showcases a blend of occupational and patronymic origins that is typical of English surnames formed in the medieval period. Its diverse spellings and the recorded individuals bearing the name illustrate the surname’s persistence and its capacity to trace professional expertise as well as familial lineage across centuries and continents.
Typical given names associated with the Cutting surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Gillian
- Helen
- Julie
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Yvette
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 Cutting in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 3,308 people named Cutting in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,743rd most common surname in Britain. Around 51 in a million people in Britain are named Cutting.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Cutting
- Andy Cutting - Musician
- John Cutting - Psychiatrist, writer
- Jack Cutting - Football player (1924 to 1)
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.