2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Carcaterra
An Italian surname derived from Italian "carcerare" meaning to imprison or jail.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Carcaterra. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carcaterra 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.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Carcaterra in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carcaterra, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carcaterra
The surname Carcaterra is of Italian origin, originating from the southern regions of the country, particularly in the areas around Naples and Campania. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "carceratore," which means "jailer" or "prison guard." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with an occupation or profession related to prisons or law enforcement.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Carcaterra can be traced back to the 16th century, with various spellings such as Carceratore, Carceratori, and Carceratora appearing in historical records and documents from that period. One notable example is the mention of a Carceratore family in a census record from the town of Sorrento in 1583.
In the 17th century, the name Carcaterra began to emerge as a more standardized spelling, likely due to regional variations and the influences of local dialects. During this time, the name was also found in records from the nearby regions of Basilicata and Calabria, indicating that the family had spread across the southern Italian peninsula.
While there are no known references to the name Carcaterra in famous historical manuscripts or documents like the Domesday Book, there have been several notable individuals bearing this surname throughout history:
1. Gennaro Carcaterra (1845-1910) – An Italian artist and painter from Naples, known for his landscape and genre paintings.
2. Vincenzo Carcaterra (1772-1856) – A Neapolitan lawyer and political activist who played a role in the Napoleonic era and the Bourbon Restoration in southern Italy.
3. Domenico Carcaterra (1619-1684) – A Catholic priest and theologian from Benevento, who authored several religious texts and treatises.
4. Alessio Carcaterra (1892-1968) – An Italian sculptor and artist from Campania, known for his works in bronze and marble.
5. Lorenzo Carcaterra (born 1954) – An American author and former writer for The New York Times, best known for his memoir "Sleepers" and other crime fiction novels.
While the surname Carcaterra is more commonly found in Italy, particularly in the southern regions, it has also been carried by individuals and families who migrated to other parts of the world, including the United States and other countries with significant Italian diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carcaterra
Among Census respondents with the surname Carcaterra, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Carcaterra 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 Carcaterra surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carcaterra
Carcaterra appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,037 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 Carcaterra 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 | #151,532 | #146,495 | 3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 114 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carcaterra bearers went from 108 to 114 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #146,495.
FAQ
Carcaterra surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carcaterra?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Carcaterra. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Carcaterra?
Carcaterra ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Carcaterra. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Carcaterra.
Has Carcaterra become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carcaterra went from 108 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Carcaterra?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carcaterra, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Carcaterra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carcaterra appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Hispanic (5.3%), Black (1.8%). 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 Carcaterra (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 Carcaterra mean?
An Italian surname derived from Italian "carcerare" meaning to imprison or jail. 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 Carcaterra (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 surname Carcaterra?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.