2000
#28,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 776
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Rare Last name
Care
A surname derived from the Old English word "caru" meaning sorrow, anxiety or care.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,052 Americans carry the last name Care. That puts it at #27,800 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 325,812 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Care 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 Care with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 325,812
Census rank
#27,800
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
917
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 917 bearers of the surname Care in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27800th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Care, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Care
Among Census respondents with the surname Care, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Care 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 Care surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 764
- Black or African American6.7% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 44
- Two or more races2.4% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Care
Care 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
#31,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 726
-50 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 2,934 places
2020
#27,800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 917
+191 bearers (+26.3%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Up 3,990 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,856 | 776 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,790 | 726 | 0.25 | -50 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 2,934 places |
| 2020 | #27,800 | 917 | 0.31 | +191 bearers (+26.3%) | Up 3,990 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 Care 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 | #31,790 | #27,800 | 12.6% |
| Count | 726 | 917 | 26.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.31 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Care bearers went from 726 to 917 (+26.3% change). The surname moved up 3,990 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,790 to #27,800.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Care
FAQ
Care surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Care?
Name Census estimates that about 1,052 living Americans carry the surname Care. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 325,812 residents.
How common is Care?
Care ranks #27,800 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 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 917 people with the surname Care. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,052), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 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 Care.
Has Care become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Care went from 726 recorded bearers to 917. That is an increase of 191 (+26.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #31,790 to #27,800.
What does the Census say about the background of Care?
Among Census respondents with the surname Care, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Care in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (764 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Care appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (6.7%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Care (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 Care mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word "caru" meaning sorrow, anxiety or care. 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 Care (0.31 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 Care?
Find out how many people are called Care on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.