Find out how popular the last name Carothers is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Carothers.

Carothers, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Carothers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carothers in America

Carothers is the 6238th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carothers surname appeared 5,480 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Carothers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carothers to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Carothers

The surname Carothers is of Scottish origin, tracing its roots back to the Lowlands region of Scotland. It is believed to have originated as a territorial name, derived from the lands of Carruthers in Dumfriesshire. The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 12th century when it appeared as "Carotheres."

The name Carothers is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "carre," meaning "fort" or "castle," and "rydderis," meaning "riders" or "soldiers." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who were soldiers or warriors stationed at a particular fort or castle in the region.

In the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England, several variations of the name appear, including Carutheris and Karuthers. This provides evidence of the surname's early use and its connection to the Scottish nobility.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Carothers was Sir William Carothers, who lived in the late 13th century and was a prominent figure in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England. Another notable bearer of the name was John Carothers (1698-1785), an Irish-born Presbyterian minister who emigrated to Pennsylvania and played a significant role in the early history of the American colonies.

Other historical figures with the Carothers surname include Wallace Hume Carothers (1896-1937), an American chemist who pioneered the development of synthetic polymers and is credited with the invention of nylon; and Neil Carothers (1909-1981), a Canadian mathematician and academic known for his contributions to the field of combinatorics.

In the United States, the Carothers surname can be traced back to the 18th century, when Scottish and Irish immigrants began settling in various regions, particularly in the Appalachian Mountains and the American South. The name has also been found in historical records from the British Isles, including Scotland, Ireland, and England, where it has been associated with various locations and place names.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carothers

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Carothers.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Carothers was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Carothers has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Carothers was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Carothers, please contact us.

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