The surname Wright is an occupational name from the Old English word ‘wyrhta’ which means ‘a carpenter or joiner’. In early times almost everything was made of wood, and this occupational name covered a huge variety of trades. These we find in the comparatively rare compound surnames Wheelwright, Arkwright (box-maker), Cartwright and Sievewright. Later, the word ‘wright’ became synonymous with ‘worker’, and in many of the records this names is Latinised to Faber. (This also happened to many people called Smith, which see). As the meaning of ‘wright’ came to spread to all trades, many compounds were formed for skills which involved no connection with wood-amongst these are Playwright, and the lesser known Cheesewright (which remains as a rare surname).

The word ‘wright’ has long been in common usage in England. In literature, we find Chaucer using it in the fourteenth century. He mentions a man who ‘was a well good wright, a carpenter’. However, the surname Wright appears even earlier.

Other common variations on the original name are Wrighte, Wraight(e), Wrate and Wreight.

One of the earliest references to the name is found in the Feet of Fines records for Sussex in 1214 where a Patere le Writh is mentioned.

The Wright Brothers-Orville (1871—1948) and Wilbur (1867—1912)-have gone down in history as the designers of the first heavier-than-air flying machine. Their 745lb wheel-less biplane powered by a 12hp motor first took to the air on 17 December 1903 at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Airborne for 12 seconds, it travelled about 10 feet above the ground with Orville strapped into the driving seat, for 120 feet before taking a nose dive. Nicknamed Wright Flyer I, it now hangs in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

British physician Sir Almroth Wright was noted for his work in developing an anti-typhoid inoculation.

Two Wrights have been Lord Mayors of London: Edmund Wright in 1640 and Thomas Wright in 1785.

The United Kingdom has one related place name-Wrightington Bar, while Canada has 3 (one Wright and 2 Wrightsvilles) and the United States has 7 ranging from Wright to Wrightwood. Australia has a Wright lake; Canada has a Wright mountain; and the United States has a Wrightson mountain.

With about 194,000 namesakes Wright is the 13th most popular surname in England and Wales. There are over 10,000 Wrights in Scotland where it is 68th in popularity. Wright is notably popular in and around Nottingham where an estimated one in about 200 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Leicester, Sheffield and Leeds are other Wright strongholds. Around the world Wrights are most common in Sydney (one in 563 families), Auckland (one in 568) and Wellington (one in 584). The United States has more Wrights than the entire population of Bristol-an estimated total of just over 453,000 makes this their 29th most popular surname.