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

Carlos, 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 Carlos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carlos in America

Carlos is the 2357th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carlos surname appeared 15,462 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Carlos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carlos 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 Carlos

The surname Carlos originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish personal name Carlos, which was a medieval form of the Germanic name Carolus or Charlemagne. The name Carolus itself comes from the Old Frankish word 'karl', meaning 'man' or 'husband'.

The name Carlos was first used as a surname in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in the regions of Castile, Aragon, and Catalonia. It is believed to have originated as a patronymic surname, indicating that the bearer was a descendant or child of someone named Carlos.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Carlos can be found in the Catalan region of Spain. In the 13th century, a document from the Monastery of Poblet mentions a nobleman named Ramón Carlos. Another early reference comes from the Book of Musters, a census-like registry of Spanish soldiers and nobles from the 14th century, which includes several individuals bearing the surname Carlos.

Historically, the surname Carlos was associated with the nobility and gentry in Spain. Several notable figures from the Middle Ages and Renaissance period bore this surname, including Pedro Carlos, a 15th-century Spanish admiral who led several naval campaigns against the Ottomans and Barbary pirates. Another prominent individual was Alonso Carlos, a 16th-century Spanish theologian and writer who authored several treatises on religious philosophy.

During the Age of Exploration, the surname Carlos accompanied Spanish conquistadors and colonists to the Americas. One notable figure was Juan Carlos, a 16th-century soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. Another was Diego Carlos, a 17th-century Spanish governor of the Philippines who oversaw the expansion of Spanish influence in the region.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Carlos spread to other parts of the world, including the Philippines, Latin America, and even parts of Europe and the Mediterranean. In Italy, for example, the surname Carlos emerged in regions with strong Spanish influence, such as Sicily and Naples.

Other notable individuals with the surname Carlos throughout history include José Carlos, a 19th-century Spanish painter known for his Romantic landscapes and portraits, and Juan Carlos, a 20th-century Spanish composer and conductor who helped revive interest in the music of the Spanish Renaissance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carlos

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

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 Carlos 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 Carlos 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 Carlos was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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