wright

Wright is a surname of English origin derived from the Old English wyght or wryhta, meaning a craftsman or builder. Historically, it referred to a maker or builder of goods, and by extension became a common occupational surname for trades such as wheelwright, shipwright, and carpenter. As a given name or part of compound names, it has appeared less commonly but is recognized as a family name in many English-speaking countries.

Notable individuals with the surname include Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright, the brothers who conducted the first sustained, powered, controlled flights of a heavier-than-air aircraft in 1903. Frank Lloyd Wright, an influential American architect known for designs such as Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum, contributed to 20th-century architectural styles. The name has appeared across many fields, including science, politics, and the arts.

In addition to people, Wright appears in geographic and cultural contexts. Places and institutions are named Wright, and the term is associated in aviation with the Wright Flyer, the aircraft used by the Wright brothers in the first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. For other uses, see Wright (disambiguation).