This name is of locational origin from a place thus called in Cheshire and Lincolnshire and from the lands of Carrington in East Lothian, Scotland. The name derives from the Old English pre 7th Century 'carr', rock plus 'ton' a farm or settlement. The middle element 'ing' means 'dwellers' in this case. Hence, 'the dwellers at the rocky settlement'. The first element may also be the personal name Cara, hence, 'the settlement of Cara's people'. The surname from both the English and Scottish sources is first recorded in the late 13th Century. One Wautier de Keringtone, parson of Dunnotre Church, rendered homage in 1296. An interesting namebearer was Richard Carrington (1826 - 1875), astronomer and observer to Durham University. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John de Carrington, which was dated 1294, The Assize Court Rolls of Cheshire, during the reign of King Edward 1, 'The Hammer of the Scots', 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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