2000
#14,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,958
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Carner
An occupational surname derived from the Old French "carnier," meaning a meat seller or butcher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,099 Americans carry the last name Carner. That puts it at #15,430 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,294 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carner 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 Carner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,294
Census rank
#15,430
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,830 bearers of the surname Carner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15430th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carner, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carner
The surname Carner is believed to have originated in Spain, possibly in the region of Catalonia or Valencia. Its earliest known form was likely "Carner" or "Carné," derived from the Catalan word "carn," meaning "meat" or "flesh." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for a butcher, meat seller, or someone involved in the meat trade.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Carner can be found in the "Llibre del Repartiment," a medieval document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of lands and properties in the Kingdom of Valencia after the Christian conquest of the region from the Moors. This record mentions individuals with the surname Carner who were granted lands and properties in Valencia.
In the 14th century, the name Carner appeared in several legal documents and notarial records from the city of Barcelona, indicating that families with this surname were well-established in the area during that time period.
A notable individual bearing the surname Carner was Josep Carner i Puig-Oriol (1884-1970), a Catalan poet, essayist, and translator. He was a prominent figure in the Catalan literary renaissance and served as the president of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans from 1942 to 1963.
Another noteworthy person with the surname Carner was Jaume Carner i Romeu (1823-1884), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Mayor of Barcelona from 1872 to 1873.
In the late 15th century, the name Carner can be found in records from the town of Gandía, located in the province of Valencia. One such record mentions a family named Carner who owned a butcher shop in the town's main square.
Historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries also show the presence of the Carner surname in various parts of Spain, including the regions of Catalonia, Valencia, and Andalusia.
It's important to note that the surname Carner may have also been derived from place names or toponyms, particularly in areas where the word "carn" or similar variations were used to describe geographical features or locations related to meat production or trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carner
Among Census respondents with the surname Carner, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Carner 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 Carner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 1,574
- Black or African American5.5% · 100
- Two or more races4.4% · 80
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carner
Carner 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
#13,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,214
+256 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 427 places
2020
#15,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,830
-384 bearers (-17.3%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 1,756 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,101 | 1,958 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,674 | 2,214 | 0.75 | +256 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 427 places |
| 2020 | #15,430 | 1,830 | 0.61 | -384 bearers (-17.3%) | Down 1,756 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 Carner 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 | #13,674 | #15,430 | -12.8% |
| Count | 2,214 | 1,830 | -17.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.61 | -18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carner bearers went from 2,214 to 1,830 (-17.3% change). The surname moved down 1,756 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,674 to #15,430.
FAQ
Carner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,099 living Americans carry the surname Carner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,294 residents.
How common is Carner?
Carner ranks #15,430 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,830 people with the surname Carner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,099), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Carner.
Has Carner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carner went from 2,214 recorded bearers to 1,830. That is a decrease of 384 (-17.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,674 to #15,430.
What does the Census say about the background of Carner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carner, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Carner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (1,574 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Black (5.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Carner (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 Carner mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French "carnier," meaning a meat seller or butcher. 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 Carner (0.61 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 have the last name Carner?
If you just want to know how many people are called Carner, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.