2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cartrett
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupation related to transporting goods by cart.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Cartrett. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cartrett 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Cartrett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cartrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cartrett
The surname Cartrett is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Cartwright or Carteret, both of which were small villages or hamlets located in various parts of England during the Middle Ages.
One theory suggests that the name Cartrett may have evolved from the Old English words "cradæ" and "wyrht," collectively meaning "cart-maker" or "cartwright." This implies that some of the earliest bearers of the name were likely involved in the crafting or repairing of carts and other wheeled vehicles.
Another possible origin of the name Cartrett is the Norman-French name "Carteret," which itself may have been derived from the Latin word "quadratus," meaning "square" or "four-cornered." This connection could indicate that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a square or a crossroads.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Cartrett can be found in various medieval documents, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and their holdings throughout England. In this record, the name appears as "Cartereit" and "Carterett," reflecting the evolving spellings of the time.
Notable individuals who bore the surname Cartrett throughout history include:
1. Sir Thomas Cartrett (c. 1490-1555), an English landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.
2. John Cartrett (1608-1679), a successful merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and almshouses in London.
3. Elizabeth Cartrett (1670-1748), a renowned author and poet whose works contributed significantly to the literary landscape of 17th-century England.
4. William Cartrett (1732-1801), a prominent architect and urban planner credited with designing several iconic buildings in Bath, England.
5. Harriet Cartrett (1825-1892), a pioneering advocate for women's rights and a leading figure in the early suffrage movement in Britain.
The Cartrett surname has also been linked to various place names across England, such as Cartrett Manor in Berkshire, Cartrett Hill in Dorset, and Cartrett Green in Yorkshire, further reinforcing the locational origins of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cartrett
Among Census respondents with the surname Cartrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Cartrett 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 Cartrett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cartrett
Cartrett appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-18 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,878 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 15,878 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 Cartrett 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 | #138,304 | #154,182 | -11.5% |
| Count | 121 | 103 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cartrett bearers went from 121 to 103 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 15,878 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #154,182.
FAQ
Cartrett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cartrett?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Cartrett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Cartrett?
Cartrett ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Cartrett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cartrett.
Has Cartrett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cartrett went from 121 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Cartrett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cartrett, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Cartrett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cartrett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Cartrett (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 Cartrett mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name or occupation related to transporting goods by cart. 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 Cartrett (0.03 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 Cartrett?
See how many people have the surname Cartrett on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.