2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Carmichel
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Gillacarmichael" meaning "servant of St. Carmichael."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Carmichel. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carmichel 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 Carmichel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Carmichel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carmichel, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carmichel
The surname CARMICHEL is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "car" meaning "twisted" and "mìcheil" meaning "loch" or "sea inlet." It is believed to have originated in the region of Argyll and Bute in western Scotland during the medieval period, likely referring to someone who lived near a winding sea loch or inlet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence. The name is listed as "Carmychel" in this document.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as "Carmichael," "Carmichaell," and "Carmychell" in records from the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands. One notable bearer of the name from this era was Sir John Carmichael (c. 1510-1600), a Scottish landowner and member of the Scottish Parliament.
During the 17th century, the CARMICHEL surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including England and Ireland. In 1661, a man named James Carmichel was recorded as a landowner in County Antrim, Ireland.
Another prominent figure with the CARMICHEL surname was Gershom Carmichael (1672-1729), a Scottish philosopher and theologian who served as the first professor of moral philosophy at the University of Glasgow.
In the 18th century, the CARMICHEL name appeared in various historical records from Scotland, including the Old Parish Registers. One individual of note was James Carmichael (1738-1806), a Scottish military officer who served in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War.
As the CARMICHEL surname spread throughout the English-speaking world, it also developed various spellings and variants, such as "Carmichael," "Carmykel," and "Carmichal." Some notable bearers of these variants include the American author Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981) and the British actor Stacy Carmichael (born 1976).
While the CARMICHEL surname has its roots in Scotland, it has become a global name, with bearers found in various countries around the world, each carrying a connection to the historical origins and meaning of this distinctive Scottish surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carmichel
Among Census respondents with the surname Carmichel, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Carmichel 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 Carmichel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.7% · 58
- Black or African American36.1% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 6
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carmichel
Carmichel 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-12 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,399 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,588 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 20,399 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,588 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 Carmichel 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 | #148,347 | #150,935 | -1.7% |
| Count | 111 | 108 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carmichel bearers went from 111 to 108 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,588 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #150,935.
FAQ
Carmichel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carmichel?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Carmichel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Carmichel?
Carmichel ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Carmichel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Carmichel.
Has Carmichel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carmichel went from 111 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Carmichel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carmichel, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.7%. The next largest groups are Black (36.1%) and Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Carmichel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.7% (58 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carmichel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.7%), Black (36.1%), Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Carmichel (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 Carmichel mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Gillacarmichael" meaning "servant of St. Carmichael." 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 Carmichel (0.04 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 Carmichel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.