Daily AncestorCartwright
A cartwright was a craftsman who built and repaired carts, the simpler two-wheeled vehicles used on farms and in towns.
A cart usually had two wheels and was pulled by a single horse, ox or mule. A cartwright built them, and the work overlapped with that of the wainwright and wheelwright.
Like wainwright, the word is rare in American census returns, where cart maker or wagon maker is more usual, but it is common as a family name.
As seen in a recordEarly records and British emigrant records
Thos. Cartwright, 39, Cartwright, England
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Daily Ancestor. "Cartwright." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/cartwright. Last checked 2026-10-01.