2000
#2,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,158
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.25
Uncommon Last name
Carnes
An English occupational surname referring to a meat seller, derived from the Old French word "carn" meaning "flesh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,639 Americans carry the last name Carnes. That puts it at #2,589 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,917 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carnes 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 Carnes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,917
Census rank
#2,589
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,638 bearers of the surname Carnes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2589th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carnes
The surname Carnes has its origins in the Latin word "carnis" meaning flesh or meat. It is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period, likely referring to an occupation such as a butcher or someone involved in the meat trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in French documents dating back to the 12th century, with variations in spelling such as Carnes, Carneys, and Carnay. Some of these early records mention individuals like Robert de Carnes, who lived in Normandy in the early 1200s.
As the name spread across Europe, it took on various forms in different regions. In England, it was often written as Carnes or Carnys, while in Scotland, the spelling Carnegy was more common. The name can also be found in historical records from Spain, where it was spelled Carneros.
One notable figure bearing this surname was Edward Carnegy, a Scottish politician and landowner who lived from 1598 to 1658. He played a significant role in the Scottish Civil War and was a prominent supporter of the Royalist cause.
Another individual of note was Sir Robert Carnes, an English military officer who served during the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 18th century. He was recognized for his bravery and leadership in several battles against the French forces.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Carnes family settled in Ireland, where the name was sometimes anglicized to Carney or Kearney. One of the earliest recorded Irish bearers of the name was William Carnes, who was born in County Galway in the late 1500s.
The name Carnes can also be found in historical documents from Germany, where it was sometimes spelled Karnes or Karnies. One notable German bearer of the name was Johann Karnes, a 17th-century scholar and philosopher who wrote extensively on metaphysics and ethics.
Throughout its history, the surname Carnes has been associated with various occupations, from butchers and meat traders to scholars and military leaders. Its origins can be traced back to medieval France, and it has since spread across Europe, taking on various forms and spellings in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carnes
Among Census respondents with the surname Carnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Carnes 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 Carnes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 11,595
- Black or African American5.5% · 747
- Two or more races4.2% · 572
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 516
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 83
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carnes
Carnes 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
#2,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,487
+329 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 4.91
Rank movement Down 149 places
2020
#2,589
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,638
-849 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 4.56
Rank movement Down 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,344 | 14,158 | 5.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,493 | 14,487 | 4.91 | +329 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 149 places |
| 2020 | #2,589 | 13,638 | 4.56 | -849 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 96 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 Carnes 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 | #2,493 | #2,589 | -3.9% |
| Count | 14,487 | 13,638 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.91 | 4.56 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carnes bearers went from 14,487 to 13,638 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,493 to #2,589.
FAQ
Carnes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carnes?
Name Census estimates that about 15,639 living Americans carry the surname Carnes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,917 residents.
How common is Carnes?
Carnes ranks #2,589 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,638 people with the surname Carnes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,639), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Carnes.
Has Carnes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carnes went from 14,487 recorded bearers to 13,638. That is a decrease of 849 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,493 to #2,589.
What does the Census say about the background of Carnes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Carnes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (11,595 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carnes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (5.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Carnes (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 Carnes mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a meat seller, derived from the Old French word "carn" meaning "flesh." 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 Carnes (4.56 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 surname Carnes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.