Given name & surname
Wright
“a wood carver; a carpenter”
Wright is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a wood carver; a carpenter.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a wood carver; a carpenter.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Wright through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,639
- 1,639 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 35 babies
- 2025
- 24
- #4,383 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +22%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 24 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,383 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 21.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 35 in 1915. In 2025, North Carolina had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 920 as a first name in 2020; 443,210 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Wright’s family of names
In English usage, Wright as a surname has a nickname in WRIGHTY. In English usage, Wright as a surname shares a linguistic root with RECHT. In English usage, Wright as a surname has a conventional equivalent in the Russian form Райт.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Wright
- Wright MorrisAmerican photographer and novelist (1910-1998)
- Wright MasseyAmerican businessmanborn 1953
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Wright, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Worth
“enclosure”
>99% boys
Willard
“a resolute and brave man”
>99% boys
Gaines
“one who acquires”
>99% boys
Wilbur
“one who is willful; a bright man”
>99% boys
Orrin
“from the river”
>99% boys
Gardner
“one who works the earth” · “the keeper of the garden”
97% boys · 3% girls
Irving
“a triend of the sea”
>99% boys
Manning
“daughter of Man” · “the son of the man; the son of the hero”
95% boys · 5% girls