An Anglo-French surname which came to Scotland in the early 12th Century, appearing first in Teviotdale. The name is derived from the French 'corbeille' meaning a raven. By the late 13th C. the family had spread to Kirkcudbrightshire and were found in Fife and Dumfriesshire by the end of the 14th C. By the late 16th C., Corbetts owned lands in Clydesdale. Today, the family is regarded as a sept of Clan Ross.
Robert Corbet was the Provost of Dumfries who told Prince Charles Edward Stuart he was not welcome in the town in 1745. The Englishman J. Rooke Corbett (1876 - 1949) was responsible for listing the Scottish peaks over 2500 feet, now known as 'The Corbetts'. Other notable Corbetts are the Lords Rowallan and comedian Ronnie Corbett (b. 1930).
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