2000
#14,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,875
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Carwile
From Old English origins meaning "dweller by the quarry hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,033 Americans carry the last name Carwile. That puts it at #15,818 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,595 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carwile 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
2.0K
1 in 168,595
Census rank
#15,818
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,773 bearers of the surname Carwile in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15818th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carwile, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carwile
The surname Carwile has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from an Old English word "Carwill" or "Carwille," which may have referred to a geographic location or a personal name. The name's earliest recorded instances can be found in various ancient manuscripts and charters from the 11th and 12th centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Carwile surname was Sir Richard Carwile, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in Gloucestershire during the reign of King Henry II (1154-1189). Records indicate that Sir Richard was granted lands in the village of Bisley, and his descendants continued to hold these estates for several generations.
Another notable figure with the Carwile surname was John Carwile, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the 14th century. John's name appears in various trade records and guild documents from the city, suggesting his involvement in the thriving wool and cloth trade of that era.
During the 16th century, the Carwile family had established roots in the county of Wiltshire, where they were recorded as landowners and gentry. One member of this branch, Thomas Carwile (1547-1623), was a respected scholar and clergyman who served as the rector of the parish church in Mere, Wiltshire.
In the 17th century, the Carwile surname gained further prominence through the exploits of Captain Edward Carwile (1610-1678), a renowned seafarer and explorer. Captain Carwile commanded several voyages to the West Indies and the Americas, and his accounts of these expeditions were widely published and read during his lifetime.
As the Carwile family spread across different regions of England, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, including Carville, Carwell, and Carwill. Despite these spelling variations, the name maintained its distinct identity and could be traced back to its medieval English roots.
It is worth noting that while the Carwile surname has a rich history in England, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world, likely through immigration and cultural assimilation. However, the origins and early recorded instances of the name remain rooted in the English tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carwile
Among Census respondents with the surname Carwile, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Carwile 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 Carwile surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,638
- Two or more races2.8% · 49
- Black or African American2.1% · 38
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carwile
Carwile 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
#15,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,899
+24 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 862 places
2020
#15,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,773
-126 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,567 | 1,875 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,429 | 1,899 | 0.64 | +24 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 862 places |
| 2020 | #15,818 | 1,773 | 0.59 | -126 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 389 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 Carwile 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 | #15,429 | #15,818 | -2.5% |
| Count | 1,899 | 1,773 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.59 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carwile bearers went from 1,899 to 1,773 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 389 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,429 to #15,818.
FAQ
Carwile surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carwile?
Name Census estimates that about 2,033 living Americans carry the surname Carwile. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,595 residents.
How common is Carwile?
Carwile ranks #15,818 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,773 people with the surname Carwile. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,033), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Carwile.
Has Carwile become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carwile went from 1,899 recorded bearers to 1,773. That is a decrease of 126 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,429 to #15,818.
What does the Census say about the background of Carwile?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carwile, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (2.1%). 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 Carwile in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,638 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carwile appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Black (2.1%). 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 Carwile (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 Carwile mean?
From Old English origins meaning "dweller by the quarry hill". 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 Carwile (0.59 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 Carwile?
You can see how many people have the last name Carwile on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.