Karver
A masculine variant of the English name Carver, meaning "one who carves or engraves."
Name Census estimates that about 435 living Americans carry the first name Karver. It is a predominantly male name (97.0% of registrations). The average person named Karver today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karver births was 2014 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karver. 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
435
~ 1 in 787,941 Americans
Peak year
2014
37 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,321
Tracked since 2003
Gender
Gender distribution for Karver
Karver leans heavily male at 97.0% of total registrations, but 13 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Karver as a male name
- Ranked #5,321 in 2024
- 18 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (37 births)
Karver as a female name
- Ranked #12,776 in 2023
- 7 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (7 births)
Popularity
Karver: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karver from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 260 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Karver remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karver 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 Karver during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Karvers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri recorded the most babies named Karver, while Utah, Missouri, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Karver
The name Karver is an anglicized form of the German surname Karver or Karber, which originated from the occupation of a carver or sculptor of wood or stone. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th century, when surnames derived from occupations became prevalent in Germanic-speaking regions of Europe.
Karver is believed to have evolved from the Middle High German word "kerver," which means "to carve" or "to cut." In those times, skilled carvers and wood sculptors played a crucial role in creating intricate decorations for churches, cathedrals, and other architectural structures, as well as functional objects like furniture and household items.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Karver can be found in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, Germany, where a certain Hanz Karver was mentioned as a prominent woodcarver in the late 15th century. His works were highly regarded for their craftsmanship and attention to detail.
Another notable figure bearing the name Karver was Johann Karver, a German sculptor and woodcarver who lived in the 16th century. He was renowned for his intricate altarpieces and church decorations, many of which can still be found in various churches and museums across Germany.
In the realm of literature, the name Karver is associated with the German writer and poet Friedrich Karver, who lived from 1780 to 1861. He was known for his romantic poems and writings that celebrated nature and the beauty of the German countryside.
Moving beyond Germany, the name Karver also appeared in other European countries, although with slightly different spellings. For instance, in England, there was a noted sculptor and architect named Thomas Carver, who lived from 1590 to 1663. He was responsible for designing and constructing several notable buildings, including the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
Another prominent figure with the name Karver was the French artist and sculptor Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, who lived from 1827 to 1875. He was renowned for his intricate and expressive sculptures, many of which adorned public spaces and buildings in Paris and other French cities.
While the name Karver is not as common today as it once was, it carries a rich historical legacy and a connection to the skilled artisans and craftsmen who helped shape the architectural and artistic landscapes of Europe through their intricate carvings and sculptures.
People
Karver + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karver as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Karver: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karver?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 435 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karver 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 787,941 US residents.
Is Karver a common name?
We classify Karver as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 438 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karver most popular?
The single biggest year for Karver was 2014, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karver is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Karver a male name?
Yes, 97.0% of people registered as Karver in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.