2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Carreathers
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the rough path or road".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Carreathers. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carreathers 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.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Carreathers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carreathers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and Hispanic (10.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carreathers
Among Census respondents with the surname Carreathers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and Hispanic (10.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Carreathers 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 Carreathers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American72.6% · 77
- Two or more races11.3% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 11
- White4.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carreathers
Carreathers 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,453 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-15 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,035 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 1,453 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 14,035 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 Carreathers 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 | #138,304 | #152,339 | -10.1% |
| Count | 121 | 106 | -12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carreathers bearers went from 121 to 106 (-12.4% change). The surname moved down 14,035 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #152,339.
FAQ
Carreathers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carreathers?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Carreathers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Carreathers?
Carreathers ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Carreathers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Carreathers.
Has Carreathers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carreathers went from 121 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Carreathers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carreathers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and Hispanic (10.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Carreathers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (77 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carreathers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (72.6%), Two or More Races (11.3%), Hispanic (10.4%). 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 Carreathers (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 Carreathers mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the rough path or road". 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 Carreathers (0.04 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 Carreathers?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.