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

Carrier, 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 Carrier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carrier in America

Carrier is the 2692nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carrier surname appeared 13,377 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Carrier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carrier 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 Carrier

The surname Carrier is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "carrier" which means "carter" or "cart driver". The name first appeared in the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France.

In medieval times, the surname Carrier was given to those who worked as cart drivers, transporting goods and materials from one place to another. It was an occupational surname, reflecting the trade or profession of the initial bearer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carrier can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record compiled in England in the late 13th century. This document mentions a John le Carrier, indicating the presence of the name in England during that period.

The Carrier surname is also mentioned in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have descended from Norman settlers who arrived in England after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Carrier was Jean Carrier, a French merchant and trader who established trade routes between France and the Mediterranean region. He was born in Marseille in 1325 and died in 1395.

During the 16th century, the Carrier family played a significant role in the French Wars of Religion. Jacques Carrier (1520-1589) was a Huguenot leader and military commander who fought alongside the Protestant forces against the Catholic League.

In the 17th century, the name Carrier gained prominence in England with the birth of Thomas Carrier (1632-1684), a renowned architect and stonemason who was involved in the construction of several notable buildings, including St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Another notable figure with the surname Carrier was Marie-Anne Carrier (1775-1825), a French botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification. She was born in Paris and spent much of her life traveling and collecting plant specimens.

In the 19th century, the Carrier surname was associated with Pierre Carrier (1812-1890), a French engineer who played a crucial role in the development of modern refrigeration systems. His innovations in the field of air conditioning and refrigeration had a lasting impact on industrial and residential cooling technologies.

These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Carrier who have made their mark throughout history, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements associated with this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carrier

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

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

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

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