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

Carver, 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 Carver surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Carver in America

Carver is the 1079th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Carver surname appeared 32,415 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Carver.

We can also compare 2010 data for Carver 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 Carver

The surname Carver is an occupational name that originated in England. It is derived from the Old English word 'cerfan', which means 'to cut or carve'. The name was first given to those who practiced the craft of woodcarving or stone carving.

Carver is a surname that can be traced back to the late 12th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1199, where a person named William le Carver was mentioned.

During the Middle Ages, the Carver surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. Some early spellings of the name included Carvar, Kervere, and Kervour.

In the 13th century, a family by the name of Carver owned land in the village of Carver, located in the East Riding of Yorkshire. This place name may have influenced the surname's spelling in that region.

One notable individual with the Carver surname was John Carver, who was born around 1576 in Doncaster, Yorkshire. He was a prominent figure among the Pilgrims and served as the first governor of the Plymouth Colony in America from 1620 to 1621.

Another famous Carver was George Washington Carver, an American botanist, and inventor who was born into slavery in 1864 in Missouri. He made significant contributions to agriculture and is best known for his work with peanuts and other crops.

In the 16th century, a family of Carvers resided in the village of Carver in Norfolk, England. One member of this family, William Carver, was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk in 1589.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain Carver fought for the Parliamentarian forces. He is mentioned in the memoirs of Sir William Dugdale, a renowned English antiquary.

In the 18th century, a renowned English painter named Robert Carver was active. He was born in 1670 in Northamptonshire and is known for his portraits and still-life paintings.

The Carver surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Carver Grange in Yorkshire, Carver's Hill in Norfolk, and Carver Marsh in Lincolnshire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Carver

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

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

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

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