2000
#9,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,221
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Carle
A French occupational surname referring to a peasant farmer or rustic man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,413 Americans carry the last name Carle. That puts it at #10,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carle 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 Carle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 100,426
Census rank
#10,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,976 bearers of the surname Carle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carle, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carle
The surname CARLE originated in France and is thought to have derived from the Old French word "char," meaning cart or chariot. It is believed to have been an occupational surname given to those who worked with carts or wheeled vehicles, such as carters or cartmen.
One of the earliest records of the surname CARLE can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Carle" in the county of Lincolnshire, England. This suggests that the name may have been introduced to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
In medieval times, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Carle, Carlé, Carles, and Carlès. This variation in spelling was common before the standardization of surnames and can be attributed to the lack of consistent record-keeping and the influence of regional dialects.
One notable bearer of the CARLE surname was Sir William Carle, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another was John Carle, a 16th-century English composer and organist who served at the Chapel Royal during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name CARLE appears in records from the French region of Normandy, suggesting a possible connection to the Norman origin of the surname. One example is Pierre Carle, a merchant and landowner born in Rouen in 1625.
The CARLE surname also has a strong presence in Germany, particularly in the southern regions. One prominent figure was Johann Baptist Carle, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1639 to 1697 and was known for his religious works.
Another notable bearer of the CARLE name was Michael Carle, an 18th-century German architect and engineer who was instrumental in the construction of several important buildings in the city of Karlsruhe, including the Karlsruhe Palace.
While the CARLE surname may not be as widely recognized as some others, it has a rich history that spans across several countries and centuries, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations of those who bore this name throughout the ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carle
Among Census respondents with the surname Carle, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Carle 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 Carle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 2,475
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 166
- Two or more races5.1% · 152
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.2% · 94
- Black or African American2.0% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carle
Carle 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
#9,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,410
+189 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 229 places
2020
#10,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,976
-434 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 765 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,302 | 3,221 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,531 | 3,410 | 1.16 | +189 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 229 places |
| 2020 | #10,296 | 2,976 | 1.00 | -434 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 765 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 Carle 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 | #9,531 | #10,296 | -8.0% |
| Count | 3,410 | 2,976 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.00 | -14.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carle bearers went from 3,410 to 2,976 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 765 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,531 to #10,296.
FAQ
Carle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carle?
Name Census estimates that about 3,413 living Americans carry the surname Carle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,426 residents.
How common is Carle?
Carle ranks #10,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,976 people with the surname Carle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,413), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Carle.
Has Carle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carle went from 3,410 recorded bearers to 2,976. That is a decrease of 434 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,531 to #10,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Carle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carle, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Carle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (2,475 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Carle (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 Carle mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a peasant farmer or rustic man. 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 Carle (1.00 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 common is the surname Carle?
See how many Americans have the surname Carle on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.