2000
#46
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 362,548
First available Census row
Per 100,000 134.40
Common Last name
Carter
An occupational surname referring to a person who transports goods by cart or wagon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 417,815 Americans carry the last name Carter. That puts it at #50 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 121.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 820 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carter 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 Carter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
418K
1 in 820
Census rank
#50
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
121.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
364K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 364,355 bearers of the surname Carter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 121.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 50th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carter, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carter
The surname Carter originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. It derived from the Old English word "cræt," meaning cart or wagon. The name initially referred to someone who transported goods or materials by cart, either as an occupation or as a carrier for a nobleman's household.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cartar" and "Carterius." This suggests that the name was already well-established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.
In the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled with variations such as "Cartere," "Cartare," and "Cartre." These variations reflect the regional dialects and scribal conventions of the time. The name was also associated with certain place names, such as Carterton in Oxfordshire and Cartmel in Cumbria.
One notable figure in history with the surname Carter was Thomas Carter (c. 1508-1582), an English Benedictine monk and Bishop of Rochester. He played a significant role in the religious upheavals of the 16th century, initially supporting the English Reformation but later becoming a Catholic recusant under Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent individual was John Carter (1598-1668), an English composer and lutenist during the Baroque period. He served as a musician at the court of Charles I and later became a prominent figure in the musical establishment of the Commonwealth.
In the literary world, Elizabeth Carter (1717-1806) was a prominent English poet, translator, and scholar. She was highly respected in her time for her translations of ancient Greek works and her contributions to the Bluestocking Circle, a influential group of intellectuals.
During the American Revolutionary War, Landon Carter (1710-1778) was a prominent Virginia planter and statesman. He served in the House of Burgesses and was known for his outspoken criticism of British policies leading up to the war.
In the realm of science, Howard Carter (1874-1939) was a renowned British archaeologist and Egyptologist. He is best known for discovering the intact tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, one of the most significant archaeological finds of the 20th century.
These examples illustrate the widespread presence of the surname Carter throughout history, spanning various fields and regions. The name's origins as an occupational descriptor have evolved into a widely recognized family name with a rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carter
Among Census respondents with the surname Carter, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Carter 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 Carter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.7% · 203,042
- Black or African American34.5% · 125,680
- Two or more races5.1% · 18,436
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 12,385
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2,670
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2,142
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carter
Carter 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
#49
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 376,966
+14,418 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 127.79
Rank movement Down 3 places
2020
#50
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 364,355
-12,611 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 121.90
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #46 | 362,548 | 134.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49 | 376,966 | 127.79 | +14,418 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 3 places |
| 2020 | #50 | 364,355 | 121.90 | -12,611 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 1 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 Carter 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 | #49 | #50 | -2.0% |
| Count | 376,966 | 364,355 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 127.79 | 121.90 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carter bearers went from 376,966 to 364,355 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #49 to #50.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carter
FAQ
Carter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carter?
Name Census estimates that about 417,815 living Americans carry the surname Carter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 820 residents.
How common is Carter?
Carter ranks #50 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 121.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 122 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 364,355 people with the surname Carter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (417,815), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 121.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 121.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 122 of them to have the surname Carter.
Has Carter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carter went from 376,966 recorded bearers to 364,355. That is a decrease of 12,611 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #49 to #50.
What does the Census say about the background of Carter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carter, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Carter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (203,042 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.7%), Black (34.5%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Carter (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 Carter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who transports goods by cart or wagon. 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 Carter (121.90 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 have the last name Carter?
Want to know how many people have the surname Carter? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.