2000
#7,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,330
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Carruthers
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Dumfries, likely meaning "fort of Rydderch" in Brittonic Celtic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,032 Americans carry the last name Carruthers. That puts it at #7,323 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,115 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carruthers 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 Carruthers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,115
Census rank
#7,323
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,388 bearers of the surname Carruthers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7323rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carruthers, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carruthers
The surname Carruthers has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is a territorial name derived from the lands of Carruthers, located in the former county of Dumfriesshire. The name is believed to come from the Cumbric words "cair" meaning "fortified dwelling" and "rythr" meaning "stream" or "ford," suggesting it was initially a place name referring to a fortified dwelling by a stream or ford.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname dates back to the 12th century, with a mention of Randulf de Cariers in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls listing Scots who pledged allegiance to King Edward I of England. During this time, the name was also spelled as "Caruthers" or "Carruthirs," reflecting the variations in spelling common in medieval times.
One notable historical figure bearing the Carruthers name was Sir John de Carruthers, who lived in the 14th century and served as a Scottish knight and ambassador to England. He played a significant role in negotiating peace treaties between Scotland and England during the reign of King Robert II.
In the 15th century, the Carruthers family held lands in Annandale and were considered a prominent border clan. The name appears in various charters and legal documents from this period, solidifying their presence and influence in the region.
Another notable bearer of the Carruthers name was William Carruthers, who lived in the 16th century and was appointed as the Bishop of Bangor in 1593. He played an important role in the Church of England during the tumultuous times of the Protestant Reformation.
The surname Carruthers continued to be prevalent in Scotland throughout the centuries, with several notable individuals bearing the name. These include the scientist William Carruthers (1830-1922), who served as the Keeper of Botany at the British Museum, and the writer and poet Robert Carruthers (1799-1878), known for his works on Scottish literature and history.
In more recent times, the name Carruthers has spread beyond Scotland, with bearers found in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant Scottish diaspora populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carruthers
Among Census respondents with the surname Carruthers, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Carruthers 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 Carruthers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 2,791
- Black or African American26.6% · 1,168
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 209
- Two or more races4.0% · 174
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carruthers
Carruthers 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
#6,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,367
+1,037 bearers (+23.9%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Up 764 places
2020
#7,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,388
-979 bearers (-18.2%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 972 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,115 | 4,330 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,351 | 5,367 | 1.82 | +1,037 bearers (+23.9%) | Up 764 places |
| 2020 | #7,323 | 4,388 | 1.47 | -979 bearers (-18.2%) | Down 972 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 Carruthers 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 | #6,351 | #7,323 | -15.3% |
| Count | 5,367 | 4,388 | -18.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.82 | 1.47 | -19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carruthers bearers went from 5,367 to 4,388 (-18.2% change). The surname moved down 972 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,351 to #7,323.
FAQ
Carruthers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carruthers?
Name Census estimates that about 5,032 living Americans carry the surname Carruthers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,115 residents.
How common is Carruthers?
Carruthers ranks #7,323 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,388 people with the surname Carruthers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,032), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Carruthers.
Has Carruthers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carruthers went from 5,367 recorded bearers to 4,388. That is a decrease of 979 (-18.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,351 to #7,323.
What does the Census say about the background of Carruthers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carruthers, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.6%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Carruthers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (2,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carruthers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (26.6%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Carruthers (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 Carruthers mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Dumfries, likely meaning "fort of Rydderch" in Brittonic Celtic. 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 Carruthers (1.47 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 common is the surname Carruthers?
Find out how common the surname Carruthers is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.