2000
#2,805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,752
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.36
Uncommon Last name
Carrera
A Spanish occupational surname referring to someone who transports goods, derives from the word "carrera" meaning "road" or "career."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,604 Americans carry the last name Carrera. That puts it at #2,186 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,424 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carrera 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 Carrera with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,424
Census rank
#2,186
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,224 bearers of the surname Carrera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2186th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carrera
The surname Carrera has its origins in Spain, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "carrera," which means "race" or "career." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for a person who was known for their speed or agility, perhaps in a profession or activity that involved racing or moving swiftly.
In the early 13th century, the name Carrera appeared in various Spanish records, such as the "Libro de las Behetrías" (Book of Beholdings), which documented land holdings and nobility in the Kingdom of Castile. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Pedro Carrera, a nobleman mentioned in a document dated 1235.
The surname Carrera also has connections to place names in Spain. For instance, the town of Carrera de Torrepadre in the province of Soria was historically associated with this surname, suggesting that some individuals may have adopted the name based on their place of origin or residence.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Carrera. One of the most famous was Rafael Carrera (1814-1865), a Guatemalan military officer and politician who served as the President of Guatemala from 1844 to 1848 and again from 1851 to 1865. Another prominent figure was Adolfo Carreras (1826-1889), a Spanish entrepreneur who founded the tobacco company Tabacalera, which later became part of the Altadis Group.
In the arts, the name Carrera is associated with individuals such as Manuel Carrera (1913-1988), a Mexican painter and sculptor known for his murals and public artworks, and Rafael Carrera Andrade (1903-1978), an Ecuadorian poet and diplomat who served as the Ecuadorian ambassador to several countries.
The name Carrera has also been present in the world of sports. One notable bearer was Juan Manuel Fangio (1911-1995), an Argentine racing driver who won five Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, making him one of the most successful drivers in the history of the sport. Another sports figure was José Carrera (1921-2020), a Spanish footballer who played as a defender and spent most of his career with FC Barcelona.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname Carrera throughout history, highlighting its Spanish origins and its connections to various fields and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrera
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Carrera 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 Carrera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.1% · 14,300
- White8.9% · 1,438
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 286
- Black or African American0.7% · 112
- Two or more races0.4% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carrera
Carrera 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
#2,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,533
+4,781 bearers (+40.7%)
Per 100,000 5.60
Rank movement Up 602 places
2020
#2,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,224
-309 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 5.43
Rank movement Up 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,805 | 11,752 | 4.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,203 | 16,533 | 5.60 | +4,781 bearers (+40.7%) | Up 602 places |
| 2020 | #2,186 | 16,224 | 5.43 | -309 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 17 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 Carrera 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 | #2,203 | #2,186 | 0.8% |
| Count | 16,533 | 16,224 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 5.60 | 5.43 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carrera bearers went from 16,533 to 16,224 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,203 to #2,186.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carrera
FAQ
Carrera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carrera?
Name Census estimates that about 18,604 living Americans carry the surname Carrera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,424 residents.
How common is Carrera?
Carrera ranks #2,186 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,224 people with the surname Carrera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,604), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Carrera.
Has Carrera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carrera went from 16,533 recorded bearers to 16,224. That is a decrease of 309 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,203 to #2,186.
What does the Census say about the background of Carrera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Carrera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (14,300 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carrera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.1%), White (8.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Carrera (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 Carrera mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to someone who transports goods, derives from the word "carrera" meaning "road" or "career." 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 Carrera (5.43 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 Carrera?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.