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

Carpentier, 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 Carpentier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carpentier in America

Carpentier is the 13087th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carpentier surname appeared 2,345 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Carpentier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carpentier 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 Carpentier

The surname Carpentier originated in France during the late medieval period. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old French word "carpentier," meaning "carpenter" or "woodworker." This name was given to individuals whose primary occupation involved working with wood, such as building structures, furniture, or other wooden objects.

The earliest recorded instances of the Carpentier name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of northern France, particularly in Normandy and Picardy. The name is also found in historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, indicating its widespread use during that time.

One notable historical reference to the Carpentier name is found in the "Livre des métiers" (Book of Trades), a 13th-century document that lists the various trades and professions in Paris. This document mentions the "carpentiers" as a distinct trade guild, highlighting the importance of woodworking in medieval French society.

In the 16th century, the Carpentier family gained prominence in the city of Valenciennes, located in northern France near the Belgian border. Jean Carpentier (1505-1566), a prominent merchant and alderman of Valenciennes, was a significant figure during this time period.

Another notable individual with the Carpentier surname was Jacques Carpentier (1670-1737), a French Dominican friar and theologian who wrote extensively on theological matters and was involved in the Jansenist controversy of the early 18th century.

In the 19th century, François Carpentier (1807-1892) was a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais de l'Industrie for the 1855 World's Fair.

Other prominent individuals with the Carpentier surname include Georges Carpentier (1894-1975), a famous French boxer and actor, and Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980), a Cuban novelist and musicologist who was a significant figure in the Latin American literary boom of the 20th century.

While the Carpentier name originated in France, it has since spread to other countries, particularly through French emigration to various regions of the world. However, the earliest and most significant historical references to this surname can be found in the chronicles and records of medieval and early modern France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carpentier

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

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 Carpentier 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 Carpentier 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 Carpentier was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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