2000
#6,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,816
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.79
Rare Last name
Carrell
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a caretaker or custodian of a residence or estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,432 Americans carry the last name Carrell. That puts it at #6,829 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carrell 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 Carrell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,099
Census rank
#6,829
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,737 bearers of the surname Carrell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6829th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carrell
The surname Carrell originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "carre," meaning square or four-sided, and was likely an occupational name for a person who lived or worked near a square or marketplace.
Alternatively, some historians suggest that the name may have originated from the Old English word "carr," which referred to a rock or rocky place, indicating that it may have been a topographic name for someone who lived near a rocky area.
One of the earliest known records of the name Carrell dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented a person named Radulfus Carre in Lincolnshire, England.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Carel, Carre, and Carrel, in various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, and Oxfordshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Carrell throughout history include:
1. Armand Carrell (1800-1836), a French writer and journalist.
2. Benjamin Carrell (1767-1832), an American clergyman and educator.
3. Alexis Carrell (1873-1944), a French surgeon and biologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1912.
4. Robert Carrell (1906-1975), an American actor and film producer.
5. Guy Carrell (1931-2019), a British television producer and writer.
The name Carrell has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Carrel Green in Derbyshire and Carrel Brook in Staffordshire, further indicating the geographic origins of the surname.
Throughout the centuries, the Carrell surname has spread across various regions, particularly in England, France, and the United States, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields, including literature, religion, science, and entertainment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrell
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Carrell 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 Carrell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 4,028
- Black or African American5.5% · 259
- Two or more races4.7% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 182
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carrell
Carrell 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
#6,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,067
+251 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 168 places
2020
#6,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,737
-330 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 160 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,501 | 4,816 | 1.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,669 | 5,067 | 1.72 | +251 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 168 places |
| 2020 | #6,829 | 4,737 | 1.58 | -330 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 160 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 Carrell 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 | #6,669 | #6,829 | -2.4% |
| Count | 5,067 | 4,737 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.72 | 1.58 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carrell bearers went from 5,067 to 4,737 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 160 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,669 to #6,829.
FAQ
Carrell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carrell?
Name Census estimates that about 5,432 living Americans carry the surname Carrell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,099 residents.
How common is Carrell?
Carrell ranks #6,829 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,737 people with the surname Carrell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,432), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Carrell.
Has Carrell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carrell went from 5,067 recorded bearers to 4,737. That is a decrease of 330 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,669 to #6,829.
What does the Census say about the background of Carrell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrell, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Carrell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (4,028 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carrell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Black (5.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Carrell (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 Carrell mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a caretaker or custodian of a residence or estate. 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 Carrell (1.58 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 are called Carrell?
See how many people have the surname Carrell on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.