Find out how popular the last name Care is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Care.

Care, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Care surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Care in America

Care is the 31790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Care surname appeared 726 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Care.

We can also compare 2010 data for Care to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Care

The surname CARE is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "caru" or "cæru," meaning "care" or "anxiety." It likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a worrisome or anxious disposition.

The earliest recorded instances of the CARE surname date back to the late 12th century in various counties of England, such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Oxfordshire. Some of the earliest spellings include Carus, Carre, and Kare.

In the renowned Domesday Book, a survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are references to individuals with names resembling CARE, such as Carus and Karus, suggesting the surname's existence at that time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the CARE surname was William Carus, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. Another early bearer of the name was Hugh Carus, who was documented in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1212.

The CARE surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Carew in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and Carew Castle, the ancestral seat of the Carew family. The name Carew is believed to be derived from the Welsh words "car" (fort) and "rhiw" (slope), indicating a fortified location on a slope.

Notable individuals with the CARE surname throughout history include:

1. Henry Care (1646-1688), an English philosopher and writer known for his work "An English Expositor" and his defense of free will.
2. Sir Nicholas Care (1536-1596), an English courtier and diplomat during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
3. Robert Care (1663-1723), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Regius Professor of Greek at Cambridge University.
4. Edward Care (1622-1688), an English Puritan minister and writer known for his work "The Spiritual Guide" and his opposition to the Church of England.
5. John Care (1576-1661), an English Puritan minister and author who was a prominent figure in the English Reformation.

While the CARE surname has been present in England for centuries, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as a result of migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Care

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Care.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Care was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Care has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Care was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Care, please contact us.

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