2000
#10,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,823
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Carberry
An Irish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Cairbre," meaning "descendant of Cairbre," a personal name meaning "charioteer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,735 Americans carry the last name Carberry. That puts it at #12,424 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,322 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carberry surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Carberry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,322
Census rank
#12,424
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,385 bearers of the surname Carberry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12424th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carberry, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carberry
The surname Carberry has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic words "carr" meaning "rock" or "rocky place" and "baile" meaning "town" or "settlement". It is believed to have been a place name originally, referring to a rocky settlement or town.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Carberry is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls recording those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "de Carrebry", likely referring to someone from the town or settlement of Carberry.
In the 14th century, the name was also recorded in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were financial records kept by the Scottish government. The spelling "Carrebry" was used in these records.
The Carberry family held lands in East Lothian, Scotland, and the name is associated with the village of Carberry, located near Musselburgh. The name of the village is believed to have been derived from the same Gaelic roots as the surname.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Carberry was Sir John Carberry, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.
Another notable individual was William Carberry, a Scottish mathematician and astronomer born in 1572. He was known for his work on improving the accuracy of astronomical calculations and tables.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various records and documents with spellings such as "Carberry", "Carberrie", and "Carburie".
A notable figure from this time period was Captain Robert Carberry, a Scottish naval officer who served in the British Royal Navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the 1660s.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure was Sir Thomas Carberry, a Scottish businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the steel industry in Scotland.
During the same period, another individual named John Carberry made a name for himself as a scholar and educator, serving as the headmaster of several prestigious schools in Scotland.
While the name Carberry has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and settlement. However, its origins and historical significance remain closely tied to the rocky settlements and towns of Scotland's past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carberry
Among Census respondents with the surname Carberry, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Carberry bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Carberry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 2,121
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 84
- Two or more races3.2% · 77
- Black or African American3.0% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carberry
Carberry appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,696
-127 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 1,179 places
2020
#12,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,385
-311 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 797 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,448 | 2,823 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,627 | 2,696 | 0.91 | -127 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 1,179 places |
| 2020 | #12,424 | 2,385 | 0.80 | -311 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 797 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Carberry surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,627 | #12,424 | -6.9% |
| Count | 2,696 | 2,385 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.80 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carberry bearers went from 2,696 to 2,385 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 797 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,627 to #12,424.
FAQ
Carberry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carberry?
Name Census estimates that about 2,735 living Americans carry the surname Carberry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,322 residents.
How common is Carberry?
Carberry ranks #12,424 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,385 people with the surname Carberry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,735), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Carberry.
Has Carberry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carberry went from 2,696 recorded bearers to 2,385. That is a decrease of 311 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,627 to #12,424.
What does the Census say about the background of Carberry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carberry, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Carberry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (2,121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carberry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Carberry (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Carberry mean?
An Irish toponymic surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Cairbre," meaning "descendant of Cairbre," a personal name meaning "charioteer." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Carberry (0.80 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Carberry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.