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

Carroll, 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 Carroll surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carroll in America

Carroll is the 215th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carroll surname appeared 134,317 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 46 people would have the surname Carroll.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carroll 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 Carroll

The surname Carroll has its origins in the Gaelic Irish name O'Cearbhaill, which was derived from the personal name Cearbhall. This name has a meaning related to "fierce in battle" or "warlike". The Carroll surname originated in Ireland, particularly in the areas of County Offaly and County Tipperary, where the Gaelic name O'Cearbhaill was most prevalent.

In the 12th century, the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland led to many Irish names being anglicized. The name O'Cearbhaill evolved into various spellings, such as Carrol, Carrell, and eventually the more commonly used Carroll. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in medieval Irish annals and manuscripts.

One notable early reference to the name is in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It mentions several individuals with the surname Carroll or variations of it, such as Maelmordha O'Carrol, who was the King of Ely (a region in County Offaly) in the 11th century.

The Carroll surname also has a connection to several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous individuals with this name is Lewis Carroll, the English writer and mathematician born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898), best known for his works "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass".

Another prominent Carroll was Charles Carroll (1737-1832), an American politician and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was the only Catholic signer and the longest-lived of all the signers.

The name is also associated with John Carroll (1735-1815), an American prelate who was the first Catholic bishop and archbishop in the United States. He founded Georgetown University in 1789.

In the field of literature, there was Sydney Carroll (1830-1909), an English writer and author of several novels, including "The Life of Lewis Carroll" and "A Memoir of Lewis Carroll".

Additionally, Earl Carroll (1892-1948) was an American producer and entrepreneur who is credited with popularizing the modern revue, a type of theatrical entertainment consisting of various skits and musical performances.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carroll

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

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

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

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