2000
#12,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,169
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Cartee
An occupational surname for one who transported goods by cart or worked as a cart driver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,580 Americans carry the last name Cartee. That puts it at #13,038 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,851 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cartee 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.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 132,851
Census rank
#13,038
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,250 bearers of the surname Cartee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13038th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cartee, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cartee
The surname CARTEE has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "carr," meaning a rocky hill, and "tye," meaning an enclosed piece of land. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on an enclosed rocky hill or pasture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1176, which mention a William de Carty. The Cartees were historically concentrated in northern England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire, where variations of the name like Cartey, Carty, and Cartye were common.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various historical records, including the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire from 1246, which listed a Robert de Cartey as a landowner. The Cartees were also mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were surveys of landholdings throughout England.
During the 14th century, the name continued to be prominent in the north of England. The Cartee family had a presence in the village of Cartmel in Cumbria, which may have influenced the spelling of their name. One notable figure from this era was John Cartee, a merchant from York who was recorded in the city's Freemen Rolls in 1378.
In the 15th century, the Cartee family expanded their influence, with members holding positions of importance in various parts of England. Sir Thomas Cartee (1415-1484) was a notable figure who served as a member of Parliament for Yorkshire and was also a distinguished soldier during the Wars of the Roses.
As the centuries progressed, the Cartee name continued to be found across England, with notable individuals emerging from time to time. In the 18th century, Thomas Cartee (1701-1782) was a renowned clockmaker from London, while in the 19th century, Samuel Cartee (1824-1901) was a prominent industrialist and philanthropist from Manchester.
Other notable individuals with the Cartee surname include the explorer Robert Cartee (1845-1912), who was part of several expeditions to Africa and the Arctic, and the author and poet Emily Cartee (1867-1943), whose works were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cartee
Among Census respondents with the surname Cartee, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cartee 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 Cartee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 1,932
- Black or African American6.9% · 155
- Two or more races3.5% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cartee
Cartee 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
#10,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,173
+1,004 bearers (+46.3%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 2,794 places
2020
#13,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,250
-923 bearers (-29.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 2,871 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,961 | 2,169 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,167 | 3,173 | 1.08 | +1,004 bearers (+46.3%) | Up 2,794 places |
| 2020 | #13,038 | 2,250 | 0.75 | -923 bearers (-29.1%) | Down 2,871 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 Cartee 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 | #10,167 | #13,038 | -28.2% |
| Count | 3,173 | 2,250 | -29.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.75 | -30.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cartee bearers went from 3,173 to 2,250 (-29.1% change). The surname moved down 2,871 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,167 to #13,038.
FAQ
Cartee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cartee?
Name Census estimates that about 2,580 living Americans carry the surname Cartee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,851 residents.
How common is Cartee?
Cartee ranks #13,038 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,250 people with the surname Cartee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,580), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Cartee.
Has Cartee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cartee went from 3,173 recorded bearers to 2,250. That is a decrease of 923 (-29.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,167 to #13,038.
What does the Census say about the background of Cartee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cartee, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Cartee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (1,932 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cartee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Black (6.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Cartee (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 Cartee mean?
An occupational surname for one who transported goods by cart or worked as a cart driver. 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 Cartee (0.75 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 Cartee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.