Carruth
A Scottish surname usually understood as a shortened form related to Carruthers.
The #8,541 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 80,110 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Carruth is generally treated as a shortened or altered form of Carruthers, a well-known Scottish surname from the southwest of Scotland. The deeper origin of Carruthers is usually explained from a place-name in Dumfriesshire, though older scholarship does not always agree on every detail. In practice, Carruth is best understood as a later variant that grew out of that broader Scottish surname tradition.
History
The surname is strongly associated with Scotland, especially the Dumfries area where Carruthers was historically established. Carruth appears in English-language records as a reduced spelling alongside Carruthers, and in modern usage it survives as a distinct but uncommon form. The name is also found in the United States, where it likely reflects Scottish or Scots-Irish family lines.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century reference works often listed Carruth and Carruthers together, reflecting how closely the two forms were linked in spelling and pronunciation.
From the historical record
“Cardiff, Carew, Carey and Cary, Carley, Carlin, Carmichael, CarnelI;, Carnes, Carney, Carrara, Carrere, Carrigan, Carruth and Carruthers, Carsley, Carstenson, Carteaux, Carteret, Cartlin, Carven, Carvery, Caryl, Casas, Casey, Cashow, Casmay, Cass, Cassady and Cassidy, Cassell and Cassells, Castendyk, Castin, Casty…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)