2000
#1,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,011
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.05
Uncommon Last name
Carmichael
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "fort of Michael" or "Michael's fort."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,740 Americans carry the last name Carmichael. That puts it at #1,860 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carmichael 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 Carmichael with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,766
Census rank
#1,860
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,958 bearers of the surname Carmichael in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1860th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carmichael, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carmichael
The surname Carmichael has its origins in Scotland, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "cair" meaning "fort" and "mìcheil" meaning "Michael," thus translating to "Michael's fort" or "Fortified village of Michael."
Carmichael is a territorial name, referring to various locations in Scotland, particularly in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. The earliest known record of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where John de Carmychael is mentioned as swearing fealty to King Edward I of England.
In the 13th century, the Carmichaels were a prominent family in the Scottish Borders region, with their ancestral seat located at the village of Carmichael near Lanark. They played a significant role in the conflicts between Scotland and England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the Carmichael name was Sir John Carmichael, who served as a diplomat and ambassador for King Robert III of Scotland in the early 15th century. Another prominent member of the family was James Carmichael, also known as "Mickle Sir James," who fought alongside Robert the Bruce and was rewarded with lands in Fife for his loyalty.
In the 16th century, the Carmichaels were involved in numerous feuds and conflicts with other powerful Scottish families, such as the Douglases and the Hamiltons. Sir John Carmichael of that Ilk, who lived from the late 15th to the early 16th century, is recorded as leading his clan in various battles and skirmishes.
The name Carmichael has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history, including Gershom Carmichael (1672-1729), a Scottish philosopher and theologian who was a prominent figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Andrew Carmichael (1790-1838), a Scottish explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in the West Indies.
Other historical figures with the surname Carmichael include Sir Thomas Carmichael (1591-1672), a Scottish judge and politician who served as Lord Advocate of Scotland, and Stokely Carmichael (1941-1998), an American civil rights activist who coined the term "Black Power" and played a pivotal role in the African-American civil rights movement.
The Carmichael name has also been associated with various place names, such as Carmichael in Lanarkshire, which served as the ancestral seat of the Carmichael clan, and Carmichaels in Pennsylvania, a town named after the Scottish family who were among its early settlers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carmichael
Among Census respondents with the surname Carmichael, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Carmichael 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 Carmichael surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.9% · 13,252
- Black or African American21.6% · 4,099
- Two or more races4.1% · 770
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 602
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 146
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 89
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carmichael
Carmichael 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
#1,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,628
+617 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 6.65
Rank movement Down 96 places
2020
#1,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,958
-670 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 6.34
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,729 | 19,011 | 7.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,825 | 19,628 | 6.65 | +617 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 96 places |
| 2020 | #1,860 | 18,958 | 6.34 | -670 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 35 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 Carmichael 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 | #1,825 | #1,860 | -1.9% |
| Count | 19,628 | 18,958 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 6.65 | 6.34 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carmichael bearers went from 19,628 to 18,958 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,825 to #1,860.
FAQ
Carmichael surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carmichael?
Name Census estimates that about 21,740 living Americans carry the surname Carmichael. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,766 residents.
How common is Carmichael?
Carmichael ranks #1,860 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,958 people with the surname Carmichael. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,740), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Carmichael.
Has Carmichael become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carmichael went from 19,628 recorded bearers to 18,958. That is a decrease of 670 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,825 to #1,860.
What does the Census say about the background of Carmichael?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carmichael, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Carmichael in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.9% (13,252 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carmichael appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.9%), Black (21.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Carmichael (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 Carmichael mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "fort of Michael" or "Michael's fort." 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 Carmichael (6.34 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 are called Carmichael?
You can see how many people have the surname Carmichael on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.