2000
#9,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,252
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Carlyle
From a place name meaning "carl's isle" in Old English, referring to a peasant's or freeman's island.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,821 Americans carry the last name Carlyle. That puts it at #9,365 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,703 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carlyle 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 Carlyle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,703
Census rank
#9,365
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,332 bearers of the surname Carlyle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9365th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carlyle
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Carlyle 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 Carlyle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.6% · 2,519
- Black or African American15.1% · 502
- Two or more races3.3% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carlyle
Carlyle 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
#9,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,476
+224 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 133 places
2020
#9,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,332
-144 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,224 | 3,252 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,357 | 3,476 | 1.18 | +224 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 133 places |
| 2020 | #9,365 | 3,332 | 1.11 | -144 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 8 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 Carlyle 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 | #9,357 | #9,365 | -0.1% |
| Count | 3,476 | 3,332 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.11 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carlyle bearers went from 3,476 to 3,332 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,357 to #9,365.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carlyle
FAQ
Carlyle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carlyle?
Name Census estimates that about 3,821 living Americans carry the surname Carlyle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,703 residents.
How common is Carlyle?
Carlyle ranks #9,365 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,332 people with the surname Carlyle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,821), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Carlyle.
Has Carlyle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carlyle went from 3,476 recorded bearers to 3,332. That is a decrease of 144 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,357 to #9,365.
What does the Census say about the background of Carlyle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Carlyle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (2,519 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carlyle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.6%), Black (15.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Carlyle (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 Carlyle mean?
From a place name meaning "carl's isle" in Old English, referring to a peasant's or freeman's island. 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 Carlyle (1.11 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 Americans have the surname Carlyle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.