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

Carswell, 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 Carswell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carswell in America

Carswell is the 5448th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carswell surname appeared 6,390 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Carswell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carswell 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 Carswell

The surname Carswell originated in Scotland, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "carr" meaning rock or crag, and "well" meaning a spring or stream, suggesting that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a rocky stream or spring.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carswell can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a series of parchment rolls that recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence. These rolls mention a "John de Carswelle" from the county of Ayrshire.

The Carswell name was also present in the famous Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a "Radulfus de Carswell" who held lands in the county of Berkshire.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Carswell name was John Carswell (c. 1520-1572), a Scottish clergyman and scholar who is best known for his translation of the Book of Common Order into Scottish Gaelic, making it one of the earliest printed works in that language.

Another notable Carswell was Robert Carswell (1793-1857), a Scottish physician and writer who is credited with introducing the stethoscope to Scotland and publishing one of the earliest textbooks on pathological anatomy.

Sir Robert Carswell (1718-1809), a Scottish politician and landowner, served as Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1770 to 1772 and was instrumental in the city's expansion and development during the Industrial Revolution.

In the literary world, Catherine Carswell (1879-1946) was a Scottish biographer and novelist known for her works on Robert Burns and D.H. Lawrence, among others.

The Carswell name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Carswell in Ayrshire and Carswell in Aberdeenshire, further reinforcing its Scottish origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carswell

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

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

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

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