2000
#12,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Carpentier
A French occupational surname referring to a carpenter or woodworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,537 Americans carry the last name Carpentier. That puts it at #13,229 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,102 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carpentier 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 Carpentier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 135,102
Census rank
#13,229
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,212 bearers of the surname Carpentier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13229th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carpentier, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One notable historical reference to the Carpentier name is found in the "Livre des métiers" (Book of Trades), a 13th-century document that lists the various trades and professions in Paris.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carpentier
Among Census respondents with the surname Carpentier, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Carpentier 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 Carpentier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 1,830
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 181
- Two or more races4.0% · 88
- Black or African American2.4% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carpentier
Carpentier 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
#13,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,345
+171 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#13,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,212
-133 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,945 | 2,174 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,087 | 2,345 | 0.79 | +171 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #13,229 | 2,212 | 0.74 | -133 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 142 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 Carpentier 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 | #13,087 | #13,229 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,345 | 2,212 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.74 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carpentier bearers went from 2,345 to 2,212 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 142 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,087 to #13,229.
FAQ
Carpentier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carpentier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,537 living Americans carry the surname Carpentier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,102 residents.
How common is Carpentier?
Carpentier ranks #13,229 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,212 people with the surname Carpentier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,537), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Carpentier.
Has Carpentier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carpentier went from 2,345 recorded bearers to 2,212. That is a decrease of 133 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,087 to #13,229.
What does the Census say about the background of Carpentier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carpentier, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Carpentier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (1,830 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carpentier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Hispanic (8.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Carpentier (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 Carpentier mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a carpenter or woodworker. 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 Carpentier (0.74 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 Carpentier?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Carpentier, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.