Carrin
A modern variant of the feminine name "Cara," originating from the Irish "Cara" meaning "friend."
Name Census estimates that about 204 living Americans carry the first name Carrin. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Carrin today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Carrin births was 1975 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Carrin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
204
~ 1 in 1,680,168 Americans
Peak year
1975
12 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2004 SSA rank
#16,586
Tracked since 1960
Census
Carrin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 293 people with the first name Carrin, which placed it at #29,959 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#29,959
National first-name rank
People counted
293
293 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
72.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Carrin is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Hispanic (7.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Carrin described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Carrin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.4% · 212
- Black or African American12.6% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino7.2% · 21
- Two or more races4.1% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Popularity
Carrin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Carrin from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 70 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Carrin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Carrin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Carrins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Carrin
The name Carrin is believed to have its origins in Gaelic, an ancient Celtic language that was spoken in parts of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. It is thought to be derived from the word "cáirín," which means "little friend" or "little beloved one."
In early Irish folklore and mythology, there are references to characters with names similar to Carrin, such as Cairenn, a legendary figure known for her wisdom and healing abilities. However, the name Carrin itself is not found in many ancient texts or historical records from that time period.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Carrin can be traced back to the 16th century in Ireland. One notable individual was Carrin O'Reilly, a renowned Irish poet and storyteller who lived in the late 1500s and was known for his vivid descriptions of nature and Irish life.
In the 17th century, Carrin Daly was a prominent Irish rebel who fought against English rule during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. She was known for her courage and determination in leading a group of rebels in County Longford.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Carrin O'Donnell was a celebrated Irish harpist who performed for nobility and royalty throughout Europe. She was renowned for her skill in playing traditional Irish melodies and helped preserve the rich musical heritage of her homeland.
In the 19th century, Carrin Burke was a pioneering Irish-American educator who established several schools in New York City, providing education to underprivileged children from immigrant families.
Another notable figure was Carrin McGuire, a Scottish-born Australian activist who fought for women's rights and social justice in the late 1800s. She was a prominent figure in the suffrage movement and played a key role in securing voting rights for women in Australia.
While the name Carrin is not as common today as it once was, it carries a rich history and cultural significance, with roots that can be traced back to ancient Celtic cultures and a legacy of individuals who made significant contributions to various fields throughout history.
People
Carrin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Carrin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Carrin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Carrin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 204 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Carrin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,680,168 US residents.
Is Carrin a common name?
We classify Carrin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 222 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Carrin most popular?
The single biggest year for Carrin was 1975, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Carrin is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Carrin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 293 people with the name Carrin, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,959 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Carrin in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Carrin?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Carrin leans strongly female. 282 people counted with this name were female (96.9%), compared with 9 male bearers (3.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Carrin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Carrin is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Hispanic (7.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Carrin most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Carrin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (212 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Carrin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Carrin a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Carrin in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Carrin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Carrin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Carrin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Carrin?
Want to know how many Americans are named Carrin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.