2000
#2,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.51
Uncommon Last name
Carlos
A Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the Germanic name Karl, meaning "free man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,420 Americans carry the last name Carlos. That puts it at #2,338 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,676 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carlos 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 Carlos with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,676
Census rank
#2,338
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,191 bearers of the surname Carlos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2338th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.6%) and White (12.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carlos
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.6%) and White (12.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Carlos 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 Carlos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.0% · 10,327
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.6% · 2,063
- White12.4% · 1,888
- Black or African American3.5% · 538
- Two or more races1.5% · 229
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 146
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carlos
Carlos 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
#2,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,462
+3,300 bearers (+27.1%)
Per 100,000 5.24
Rank movement Up 361 places
2020
#2,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,191
-271 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 5.08
Rank movement Up 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,718 | 12,162 | 4.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,357 | 15,462 | 5.24 | +3,300 bearers (+27.1%) | Up 361 places |
| 2020 | #2,338 | 15,191 | 5.08 | -271 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 19 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 Carlos 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 | #2,357 | #2,338 | 0.8% |
| Count | 15,462 | 15,191 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.24 | 5.08 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carlos bearers went from 15,462 to 15,191 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,357 to #2,338.
FAQ
Carlos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carlos?
Name Census estimates that about 17,420 living Americans carry the surname Carlos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,676 residents.
How common is Carlos?
Carlos ranks #2,338 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,191 people with the surname Carlos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,420), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Carlos.
Has Carlos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carlos went from 15,462 recorded bearers to 15,191. That is a decrease of 271 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,357 to #2,338.
What does the Census say about the background of Carlos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.6%) and White (12.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Carlos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.0% (10,327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carlos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.6%), White (12.4%). 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 Carlos (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 Carlos mean?
A Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from the Germanic name Karl, meaning "free 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 Carlos (5.08 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 surname Carlos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.