2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Carbert
A surname derived from a Norman French place name meaning "enclosed dwellings".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Carbert. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carbert 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 Carbert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Carbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carbert
The surname Carbert has its origins in the British Isles, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century in England. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "cær" meaning "cart" and "bert" meaning "bright" or "illustrious," suggesting a possible association with a prominent cartwright or someone involved in the transportation industry.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Carbert surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which lists a Robert Carbert as a landowner in the village of Harrold. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, where a William Carbert is listed as a taxpayer.
In the 14th century, the Carbert name can be traced to the village of Carburton in Nottinghamshire, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname. This location is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Gredreberie," suggesting a possible link between the place name and the surname's origins.
Notable individuals bearing the Carbert surname include Sir John Carbert (1556-1628), a member of the English gentry and a Member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in the early 17th century. Another prominent figure was William Carbert (1673-1745), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
In Scotland, the Carbert name can be found in historical records from the 16th century onwards, with one of the earliest recorded instances being Robert Carbert, a merchant from Edinburgh who was granted a coat of arms in 1567. The Scottish branch of the Carbert family may have had connections to the Clan Buchanan, as evidenced by the Carbert crest featuring a bear's head, a symbol commonly associated with that clan.
Other notable individuals with the Carbert surname include:
1. James Carbert (1802-1879), an English industrialist and inventor who pioneered the use of steam power in textile manufacturing.
2. Elizabeth Carbert (1825-1901), a British philanthropist and social reformer who founded several orphanages and schools for underprivileged children in London.
3. Robert Carbert (1881-1958), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 1929 to 1938.
4. Margaret Carbert (1915-2002), an Australian artist and sculptor renowned for her abstract works and public installations.
5. Michael Carbert (born 1961), a British author and historian who has written extensively on the social and cultural history of England in the Middle Ages.
While the Carbert surname has its roots in England and Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants living in countries such as Canada, Australia, and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Carbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Carbert 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 Carbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 94
- Black or African American12.4% · 15
- Two or more races6.6% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carbert
Carbert 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,720 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+14 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,720 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 11,319 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 Carbert 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 | #152,628 | #141,309 | 7.4% |
| Count | 107 | 121 | 13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carbert bearers went from 107 to 121 (+13.1% change). The surname moved up 11,319 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #141,309.
FAQ
Carbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carbert?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Carbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Carbert?
Carbert ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Carbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Carbert.
Has Carbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carbert went from 107 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 14 (+13.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Carbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Carbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (12.4%), Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Carbert (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 Carbert mean?
A surname derived from a Norman French place name meaning "enclosed dwellings". 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 Carbert (0.04 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 last name Carbert?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Carbert, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.