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

Carruth, 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 Carruth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carruth in America

Carruth is the 8541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carruth surname appeared 3,854 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Carruth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carruth 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 Carruth

The surname Carruth has its origins in Scotland and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word 'carragh', meaning a rocky hill or cairn, and 'ath', meaning a ford or shallow river crossing. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a rocky hill or cairn by a ford or river crossing.

One of the earliest recorded references to the Carruth name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as 'Carruther'. This was a record of Scottish nobles and landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name is also mentioned in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls of the 14th century, spelled as 'Carrutheris'.

In the 16th century, the Carruths were a prominent family in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the counties of Dumfriesshire and Roxburghshire. They held lands and estates in places like Holmains and Mouswald. One notable member of the family was John Carruth of Holmains, who lived in the late 16th century and was known for his involvement in local politics and affairs.

Another noteworthy figure was George Carruth, a Scottish minister and writer who was born in Ayrshire in 1639. He published several works on religious and theological topics, including a book titled 'The Dreadful Blasphemer' in 1698.

In the 18th century, the Carruth name began to spread beyond Scotland as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One such individual was William Carruth, who was born in Scotland in 1748 and later settled in County Down, Ireland, where he worked as a farmer and landowner.

As the centuries progressed, the Carruth surname continued to be found across Scotland, with concentrations in areas like Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, and the Scottish Borders. Notable individuals with the name include William Herbert Carruth, an American poet and academic who lived from 1859 to 1924, and William Wallace Carruth, a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carruth

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

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

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

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