2000
#2,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,413
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.97
Uncommon Last name
Carrier
An occupational surname referring to one who transports goods, often by cart or wagon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,813 Americans carry the last name Carrier. That puts it at #2,720 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carrier 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 Carrier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,139
Census rank
#2,720
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,918 bearers of the surname Carrier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2720th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrier, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carrier
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrier, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Carrier 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 Carrier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 10,825
- Black or African American7.9% · 1,025
- Two or more races3.6% · 468
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 393
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 91
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carrier
Carrier 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
#2,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,377
-36 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 4.53
Rank movement Down 225 places
2020
#2,720
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,918
-459 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 4.32
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,467 | 13,413 | 4.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,692 | 13,377 | 4.53 | -36 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 225 places |
| 2020 | #2,720 | 12,918 | 4.32 | -459 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 28 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 Carrier 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 | #2,692 | #2,720 | -1.0% |
| Count | 13,377 | 12,918 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.53 | 4.32 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carrier bearers went from 13,377 to 12,918 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,692 to #2,720.
FAQ
Carrier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carrier?
Name Census estimates that about 14,813 living Americans carry the surname Carrier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,139 residents.
How common is Carrier?
Carrier ranks #2,720 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,918 people with the surname Carrier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,813), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Carrier.
Has Carrier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carrier went from 13,377 recorded bearers to 12,918. That is a decrease of 459 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,692 to #2,720.
What does the Census say about the background of Carrier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carrier, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Carrier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (10,825 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carrier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Carrier (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 Carrier mean?
An occupational surname referring to one who transports goods, often 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 Carrier (4.32 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 share the surname Carrier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.