Recorded as Carabet, Carabot, Carabott, Carbett and possibly others, this is apparently a French Huguenot surname. We know that it is first recorded in England in 1720, with that of Robert Carabet and his wife Elizabeth whose son Pierre Henry Carabet, was christened at the famous Huguenot Protestant church known as Le Savoye de Grecs, Spring Gardens, in the city of London on October 9th of that year. It is therefore possible that all future nameholders, whatever their current spelling, originate from this one family. Having said that, the surname is still rare, and according to the International Genealogical Index may be the same as the popular name Corbett and Corbut. Meaning "The raven", this surname is of very early French origins, and a Norman introduction into the British Isles at the time of the famous Conquest of England in 1066. In fact as Carabet or the later Carabott, we cannot find it in French records at all. This suggests that the original recording in England was probably accidentally, mis-spelt, as many were. Assuming that it does originate from Corbett, the first recording anywhere is that of Rogerus Corbet in the Domesday Book for Staffordshire, England, in 1086.

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