2000
#5,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,576
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.07
Rare Last name
Carmody
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Diarmada," meaning "son of Diarmaid" (a personal name meaning "without envy").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,371 Americans carry the last name Carmody. That puts it at #5,966 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,799 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carmody 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 Carmody with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,799
Census rank
#5,966
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,556 bearers of the surname Carmody in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5966th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carmody, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carmody
The surname Carmody is an Irish name that originated in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name "O'Cearmhoid," which means "descendant of Cearmhod." The name Cearmhod is believed to be derived from the Irish word "cearr," meaning "small, left-handed, or wrong," and the diminutive suffix "-oid."
The earliest recorded instance of the Carmody surname dates back to the 16th century. In 1590, a Thomas Carmody was listed in the Fiants of the County Tipperary. The Fiants were records of legal pardons and land grants issued by the English government in Ireland during the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Carmody name appeared in several historical records throughout the centuries. In the 1659 Census of Ireland, which was a survey of landholders conducted by the English government, several Carmody families were listed as landowners in County Tipperary. The surname was also recorded in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1665, which were tax records compiled by the English government in Ireland.
One notable bearer of the Carmody surname was John Carmody (1824-1890), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Armidale, Australia, from 1887 until his death. Another was Thomas Carmody (1859-1940), a Canadian journalist and author who was born in County Tipperary and emigrated to Canada in the late 19th century.
In the United States, John Carmody (1856-1924) was a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Chicago, Illinois. He co-founded the Carmody Oil Company and was a major benefactor of the Catholic Church and several educational institutions.
James Carmody (1868-1940) was an Australian politician and trade unionist who served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1917 to 1919. He was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, and emigrated to Australia in the late 19th century.
Finally, Brendan Carmody (1913-1987) was an Irish poet and literary critic who is best known for his work on the life and writings of James Joyce. He was born in County Tipperary and spent most of his career as a professor at University College Dublin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carmody
Among Census respondents with the surname Carmody, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Carmody 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 Carmody surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 5,133
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 190
- Two or more races2.7% · 149
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
- Black or African American0.6% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carmody
Carmody 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
#6,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,688
+112 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 337 places
2020
#5,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,556
-132 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Up 75 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,704 | 5,576 | 2.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,041 | 5,688 | 1.93 | +112 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 337 places |
| 2020 | #5,966 | 5,556 | 1.86 | -132 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 75 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 Carmody 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 | #6,041 | #5,966 | 1.2% |
| Count | 5,688 | 5,556 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.93 | 1.86 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carmody bearers went from 5,688 to 5,556 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 75 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,041 to #5,966.
FAQ
Carmody surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carmody?
Name Census estimates that about 6,371 living Americans carry the surname Carmody. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,799 residents.
How common is Carmody?
Carmody ranks #5,966 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,556 people with the surname Carmody. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,371), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Carmody.
Has Carmody become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carmody went from 5,688 recorded bearers to 5,556. That is a decrease of 132 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,041 to #5,966.
What does the Census say about the background of Carmody?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carmody, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Carmody in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (5,133 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carmody appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Carmody (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 Carmody mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Diarmada," meaning "son of Diarmaid" (a personal name meaning "without envy"). 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 Carmody (1.86 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 common is the surname Carmody?
You can see how many people have the last name Carmody on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.