2000
#5,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,524
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.05
Rare Last name
Carrico
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who transports goods by cart or wagon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,091 Americans carry the last name Carrico. That puts it at #6,180 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,272 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carrico 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
6.1K
1 in 56,272
Census rank
#6,180
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,312 bearers of the surname Carrico in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6180th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrico, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carrico
The surname Carrico originates from Portugal, where it has its roots in the late Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Portuguese word "carrico," which means "a small cart" or "a small wagon." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a carter or a wagon driver.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Carrico can be traced back to the 14th century in various Portuguese records and manuscripts. One notable mention is found in the "Livro das Lezírias" (Book of the Meadows), a medieval document from the 15th century that recorded land ownership and transactions in the Ribatejo region of Portugal.
In the 16th century, the name Carrico appeared in historical records related to the Portuguese exploration and colonization efforts. One such individual was João Carrico, a navigator who accompanied the famous explorer Vasco da Gama on his second voyage to India in 1502.
As the Portuguese expanded their influence around the world, the name Carrico spread to various regions, including Brazil and parts of Asia. In the 17th century, Pedro Carrico, a Portuguese sailor, was documented as one of the first European settlers in Macau, a territory under Portuguese administration at the time.
In the 19th century, the name Carrico gained prominence in the United States, particularly in the northeastern states, due to immigration from Portugal and its territories. One notable figure was Joaquim Maria Carrico, a Portuguese-American businessman and philanthropist born in 1815 in Rhode Island, who made significant contributions to the development of the textile industry in New England.
Another notable individual with the surname Carrico was José Carrico, a Portuguese-American artist born in 1887 in Massachusetts. He gained recognition for his paintings depicting the daily life and landscapes of New England, particularly the Cape Cod region.
Throughout history, the name Carrico has also been associated with various place names, such as Carrico, a small village in the municipality of Tomar, Portugal, and Carrico Creek, a stream in the state of Montana, United States, likely named after an early settler with the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrico
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrico, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Carrico 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 Carrico surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 4,872
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 183
- Two or more races3.2% · 168
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 54
- Black or African American0.4% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carrico
Carrico 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
#6,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,673
+149 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 306 places
2020
#6,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,312
-361 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,744 | 5,524 | 2.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,050 | 5,673 | 1.92 | +149 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 306 places |
| 2020 | #6,180 | 5,312 | 1.78 | -361 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 130 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 Carrico 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 | #6,050 | #6,180 | -2.1% |
| Count | 5,673 | 5,312 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 1.78 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carrico bearers went from 5,673 to 5,312 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 130 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,050 to #6,180.
FAQ
Carrico surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carrico?
Name Census estimates that about 6,091 living Americans carry the surname Carrico. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,272 residents.
How common is Carrico?
Carrico ranks #6,180 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 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 5,312 people with the surname Carrico. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,091), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 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 Carrico.
Has Carrico become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carrico went from 5,673 recorded bearers to 5,312. That is a decrease of 361 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,050 to #6,180.
What does the Census say about the background of Carrico?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrico, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Carrico in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (4,872 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carrico appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Carrico (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 Carrico mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who transports goods by cart or wagon. 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 Carrico (1.78 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 Carrico?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Carrico? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.