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

Carreathers, 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 Carreathers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carreathers in America

Carreathers is the 138304th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carreathers surname appeared 121 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Carreathers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carreathers 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 Carreathers

The surname Carreathers is believed to have originated in the Scottish Lowlands during the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "cærra" meaning "traveler" and "hæddre" meaning "heather," likely referring to a wanderer or traveler who frequented the heather-covered hills and moors.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. It appears as "Carretheris," suggesting that the spelling has evolved over time.

In the 14th century, the name Carreathers was associated with the village of Carruthers in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. This village may have taken its name from the surname or vice versa, but the connection suggests that the family had established roots in that region.

Notable individuals bearing the Carreathers surname include Sir William Carreathers (1520-1587), a Scottish nobleman who played a role in the Protestant Reformation in Scotland, and John Carreathers (1675-1742), a prominent merchant and landowner in the Scottish Borders region.

Another figure of note was Elizabeth Carreathers (1810-1892), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in the United States. She founded one of the first schools for girls in New England and was a vocal supporter of the abolition movement.

In the 19th century, the Carreathers name appeared in various historical records, including the census records of Canada and the United States, indicating that members of the family had emigrated from Scotland to North America during this period.

One of the most renowned Carreathers was the Scottish philosopher and writer, David Carreathers (1842-1919), whose works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely influential in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

While the Carreathers surname is relatively rare today, its origins can be traced back to the rugged landscapes of the Scottish Lowlands and the travels of its earliest bearers through the heather-covered hills and moors.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carreathers

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!