2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Carian
An English surname derived from the name of the ancient region of Caria in Asia Minor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Carian. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carian 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Carian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carian, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carian
The surname Carian has its origins in the ancient region of Caria, which was located in southwestern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). This area was inhabited by the Carians, an Indo-European people who spoke the Carian language. The name is derived from the Greek word "Kares," which was used to refer to these people.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the writings of Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian. In his work "The Histories," he mentions the Carians as a distinct group who were skilled in warfare and served as mercenaries in various armies. The Carians were also known for their distinctive architecture and artistry, particularly in the production of ceramics and metalwork.
The Carian surname likely emerged as a way to identify individuals who hailed from this region or had ancestral ties to the Carian people. Over time, the name spread beyond its original geographic boundaries as people migrated and settled in other areas.
One notable figure bearing the surname Carian was Rhianus of Crete, a Greek grammarian and poet who lived in the 3rd century BC. He is known for his epic poem "Achaica," which chronicled the history of the Achaean League, an ancient Greek confederation of city-states.
Another individual with the surname Carian was Herodicus of Caria, a Greek physician who lived in the 5th century BC. He is credited with being one of the founders of sports medicine and is said to have developed a system of therapeutic exercise for athletes and patients recovering from illness.
In the Middle Ages, the Carian surname can be found in various European records, including the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname had established themselves in Britain by this time.
One notable figure from this period was John Carian, a English priest and academic who lived in the 14th century. He served as the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1349 to 1361 and was known for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy.
In the Renaissance era, Giacomo Carian was an Italian architect and sculptor who lived from 1515 to 1590. He is best known for his work on the Palazzo dei Conservatori in Rome, where he designed the iconic façade featuring intricate sculptural decorations.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the Carian surname, which has its roots in the ancient region of Caria and the people who inhabited that area. The name has persisted over centuries, reflecting the enduring legacy of this ancient culture and its influence on various societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carian
Among Census respondents with the surname Carian, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Carian 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 Carian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.6% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino18.3% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.3% · 17
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carian
Carian 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,122 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 Carian 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 | #159,712 | #153,590 | 3.8% |
| Count | 101 | 104 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carian bearers went from 101 to 104 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #153,590.
FAQ
Carian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carian?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Carian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Carian?
Carian ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Carian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Carian.
Has Carian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carian went from 101 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Carian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carian, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.3%). 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 Carian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.6% (63 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.6%), Hispanic (18.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.3%). 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 Carian (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 Carian mean?
An English surname derived from the name of the ancient region of Caria in Asia Minor. 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 Carian (0.03 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 share the surname Carian?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.