Corbett (surname)


Corbett is an English-language surname.
It can be derived from the Anglo-Norman French, Middle English, and Old French corbet, which is a diminutive of corb, meaning "raven". The surname probably originated from a nickname referring to someone with dark hair or a dark complexion like a raven's. The surname was brought to England from Normandy, and spread to Scotland in the 12th century, and into northern Ireland in the 17th century. Early instances of the name are Corbet in Shropshire, recorded in Domesday Book in 1086; Corbet in Shropshire, recorded in the Assize Rolls of Worcestershire in 1158; and le Corbet in Oxfordshire, recorded in the Eynsham Cartulary in 1323. Variations of the surname include: Corbet, and Corbitt.
Corbett can also be an Anglicised form of the Irish surnames Ó Corbáin and Ó Coirbín, which mean "descendant of Corbán" and "descendant of Coirbín", respectively.

Names borne by several Corbetts

In politics

In sport

In literature

In business

In television, film and fiction

In the military

In geography

  • John Rooke Corbett, mountaineer and compiler of list of peaks between 2500 and 3000 feet.

In other fields