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

Carlyle, 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 Carlyle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carlyle in America

Carlyle is the 9357th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carlyle surname appeared 3,476 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Carlyle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carlyle 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 Carlyle

The surname Carlyle originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "carr" meaning rock or stone, and "hyll" meaning hill. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a rocky hill or stony place.

The earliest known record of the Carlyle name dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Ragman Rolls of 1296 as "William de Carlyle." This was a list of Scottish nobles who swore fealty to King Edward I of England after the latter's invasion of Scotland.

In the 14th century, the Carlyles were a prominent family in the Scottish Borders region, holding lands near the town of Carlyle, which itself was named after the family. The village of Carlyle is mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1377.

One of the most famous bearers of the Carlyle surname was the Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, and historian Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881). He was a leading figure in the Victorian era and is renowned for works such as "The French Revolution" and "On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and The Heroic in History."

Another notable Carlyle was Sir Robert Carlyle (1550-1638), a Scottish minister and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. He was a strong advocate of Presbyterian church governance and authored several influential religious works.

In the 17th century, the Carlyles were also prominent in the West Indies. James Carlyle (1629-1698) was a Scottish merchant who became one of the wealthiest planters in Jamaica, owning several sugar plantations and serving as a Member of the Assembly for St. Andrew Parish.

Joseph Dacre Carlyle (1758-1804) was an English orientalist and professor of Arabic at Cambridge University. He made significant contributions to the study of Arabic literature and culture in the late 18th century.

Another bearer of the Carlyle name was John Aitken Carlyle (1801-1879), a Scottish physician and medical writer who published several influential works on health and hygiene, including "A Manual of the Principles of Physiology" and "The House and Its Surroundings."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carlyle

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

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

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

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