Carthens last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Carthens

A surname derived from a place name, possibly from Charton in Kent or elsewhere.

Carthens, 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 Carthens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carthens in America

Carthens is the 79846th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carthens surname appeared 238 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Carthens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carthens 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 79846 93841 -16.12%
Count 238 181 27.21%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.07 13.33%

The history of the last name Carthens

The surname Carthens is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, with roots tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon era. Carthens is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name that no longer exists or has undergone significant changes over the centuries.

One theory suggests that Carthens may be related to the Old English word "cærten," meaning a small, enclosed piece of land or a garden. This could indicate that the name originally referred to someone who lived near or worked on such a plot of land. Another possibility is that Carthens is a variation of the name "Carleton," which comes from the Old English words "carr" (rock or stone) and "tun" (enclosure or settlement).

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Carthens can be found in historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1273, a John de Carthens is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, while a William Carthens appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327.

A notable figure bearing the Carthens surname was Sir John Carthens, a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Warwickshire during the 15th century. He was born around 1420 and served as a justice of the peace and a member of the local militia. Another Carthens of note was William Carthens (c. 1560-1624), an English clergyman who served as the rector of St. Michael's Church in Coventry.

In the 16th century, the Carthens name was found in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire, where a Thomas Carthens is recorded in the parish registers of Gainsborough in 1582. The spelling variations at the time included Carthen, Carthens, and Carthyn.

During the 17th century, the Carthens family had a presence in London, with records showing a John Carthens (c. 1610-1675) who was a successful merchant and landowner in the city. Another member of the family, Robert Carthens (1652-1712), was a noted scholar and author who wrote several works on theology and philosophy.

By the 18th century, the Carthens surname had spread to other parts of the British Isles, with records indicating family members living in Scotland and Ireland. One notable individual from this era was Sir William Carthens (1725-1798), a Scottish politician and landowner who served as a member of Parliament for several years.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carthens

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

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 Carthens was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 2.94% 7
Non-Hispanic Black Only 93.28% 222
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.10% 5
Hispanic Origin 0.00% 0

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 Carthens has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 2.94% (S)% (S)%
Black 93.28% 92.27% 1.09%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.10% 3.31% -44.73%
Hispanic 0.00% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Carthens last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 4, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/carthens-surname-popularity/.

"Carthens last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/carthens-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 November, 2024

Carthens last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/carthens-surname-popularity/.

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