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Classification: Query
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Message Board Post:
Tim Carrico Weaver was kind enough to send me his insight into the origin of the Carrico
name gained from his research. His reply is posted here with permission:
Many of these stories about the Carrico family make for interesting fireside chat. I would
not attempt to dispute any of them. My research turns up the following historical facts:
The origin of the name, Carrico, is Portugal without doubt. It is not Spain or Italy or
France, although that does not mean people surnamed Carrico are unheard of in Spain and in
many other parts of the world. Former Prime Minister Peres of Israel has a Portuguese
surname and so on. Families have migrated throughout history so names are carried all over
the globe. However, the name Carrico appears in Portugal as early as the Roman Empire and
is based on Latin name for marsh plant, carex. Pronounce the X as an S and you have the
current pronunciation of Carrico in many parts of Portugal today. There is a village in
the central coastal area of Portugal named Mato dos Carrico. It was founded in the 11th
Century. The word carrico appears in only on dictionary--Portuguese. Look these up in your
nearest !
library. It is still possible that many of the Carrico family stories have an element of
truth but you can take it the bank that Carrico has been so spelled since at least 1100 AD
in Portugal! With regard to arrival in America, the myth has been dispelled. One person
surnamed, "Currico," who arrived in 1674 along with other indentured servants
from England. This was the first arrival documented. It is possible to trace the American
Carrico line back to this single person. There were no brothers. There was no change of
name (it is possible to see how Carrico became interpreted as "Currico" in the
handwritten documents of the day). I have found other Carricos in the New England area who
descendants of more recent immigrants from Portugal but the origin Peter Carrico line
begins with Peter "Currico," the humble indentured servant who worked for seven
years to acquire his 50 acres.
You may post the info. Please ask people to contact me for details. Also, the name Carrico
is derived from the name of the plant, carex. The reason I am quite certain the name is
not Spanish in origin is that a similar name, Carrisso, is also found in Portugal but is
spelled with the Spanish ss rather than using the c with cedilla (the mark under the c
indicating that the c is to be pronounced as an s). Portuguese language still uses this
convention but Spanish does not. There is a famous botanist at Coimbra University in
Portugal named Carrisso. I would assume that his family heritage might be Spanish
resulting from a Portuguese family migrating to some part of Spain where eventually the
name was spelled using Spanish--and, from there back to Portugal keeping the Spanish
spelling. This crisscrossing and name alteration would not be too unusual because during
the history of these two countries families often moved back and forth, especially during
the Inquisition. I learned !
this from researching the Carrico family of the Evora region who were persecuted as Jews.
The Carrico family was condemned by the Holy Roman Church as being Jewish (a crime
punishable by death) as recently as the 1600s. But, this is another story.
Best,
Tim - Wtcweaver(a)aol.com