2000
#5,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Carder
An occupational surname referring to someone who carded wool or cotton, preparing fibers for spinning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,935 Americans carry the last name Carder. That puts it at #6,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,751 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carder 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 Carder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,751
Census rank
#6,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,176 bearers of the surname Carder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carder
The surname Carder has its origins in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "carding," which refers to the process of combing and disentangling wool fibers to prepare them for spinning.
During the medieval period, the wool trade played a significant role in the English economy, and many surnames arose from occupations related to this industry. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax returns of 1379, where it appeared as "Johanne le Carder."
In the 16th century, the surname Carder was documented in various records, including the Parish Registers of Westmorland, where it was recorded as "Carder" in 1568. This suggests that the spelling had become more standardized by that time.
The Carder surname is also closely associated with the town of Cardinham in Cornwall, England. It is believed that some Carder families originated from this area, and the name may have been derived from the place name itself.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Carder was John Carder, who was born in Yorkshire in the late 15th century and served as a wool merchant and trader. Another notable figure was William Carder (1591-1668), a prominent English clergyman and author from Lancashire.
In the 17th century, the Carder surname gained recognition through the work of Richard Carder (1605-1691), a renowned English merchant and banker who established a successful trading company in London. He was followed by his son, John Carder (1638-1717), who continued the family business and became a prominent figure in the City of London.
During the 18th century, the Carder name was associated with the literary world through the works of Thomas Carder (1726-1804), an English poet and playwright who published several plays and poems during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Carder surname gained further prominence with the birth of William Carder (1818-1892), a renowned English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Natural History Museum.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carder
Among Census respondents with the surname Carder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Carder 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 Carder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 4,651
- Two or more races4.2% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 165
- Black or African American1.4% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carder
Carder 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
#6,188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,529
+118 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 327 places
2020
#6,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,176
-353 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 124 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,861 | 5,411 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,188 | 5,529 | 1.87 | +118 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 327 places |
| 2020 | #6,312 | 5,176 | 1.73 | -353 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 124 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 Carder 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 | #6,188 | #6,312 | -2.0% |
| Count | 5,529 | 5,176 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.73 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carder bearers went from 5,529 to 5,176 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 124 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,188 to #6,312.
FAQ
Carder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carder?
Name Census estimates that about 5,935 living Americans carry the surname Carder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,751 residents.
How common is Carder?
Carder ranks #6,312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,176 people with the surname Carder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,935), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Carder.
Has Carder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carder went from 5,529 recorded bearers to 5,176. That is a decrease of 353 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,188 to #6,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Carder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (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 Carder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (4,651 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (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 Carder (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 Carder mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who carded wool or cotton, preparing fibers for spinning. 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 Carder (1.73 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 Carder?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Carder on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.