2000
#8,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,759
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.39
Rare Last name
Cater
An occupational surname referring to a food supplier or one who provides provisions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,307 Americans carry the last name Cater. That puts it at #8,442 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cater 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 Cater with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,581
Census rank
#8,442
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,756 bearers of the surname Cater in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8442nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cater, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cater
The surname Cater is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "catu," which means "buyer" or "provider of food." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone whose occupation involved buying or providing food, perhaps a merchant or a purveyor of provisions.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Cater can be traced back to the late 12th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William le Cater, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202. The use of the prefix "le" before the surname was a common practice at the time, indicating the person's occupation or place of origin.
In the 13th century, the surname Cater appeared in various forms, including Catur, Catour, and Catere. These variations reflect the inconsistent spelling practices of the time and the influence of regional dialects. One notable bearer of the name during this period was John le Catour, who was recorded in the Patent Rolls of 1277.
The Cater surname has been associated with several place names in England, such as Caterham in Surrey and Caterall in Lancashire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time, or they may have been derived from the surname itself.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Cater surname continued to be recorded in various historical documents, including the Subsidy Rolls and the Lay Subsidy Rolls. One notable figure from this period was Thomas Cater, a merchant from Bristol who was involved in the wool trade and served as a member of Parliament in 1420.
In the 16th century, the surname Cater gained prominence with the rise of the Cater family of Oxfordshire. Sir Edward Cater (1531-1596) was a prominent member of this family and served as a Member of Parliament and a Justice of the Peace. His grandson, Sir Robert Cater (1589-1665), was a noted scholar and benefactor of Oxford University.
Other notable individuals with the surname Cater throughout history include:
1. Thomas Cater (c. 1570-1634), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
2. William Cater (1779-1858), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Vice-Admiral.
3. John Cater (1852-1919), a British architect known for his work on churches and public buildings in London.
4. Wilfred Cater (1895-1977), a British painter and illustrator who was known for his depictions of rural life in England.
5. Dorothy Cater (1910-1988), an American educator and activist who advocated for the integration of schools in the United States.
While the surname Cater has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and the influence of the British Empire. Today, the name can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cater
Among Census respondents with the surname Cater, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Cater 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 Cater surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.1% · 2,670
- Black or African American19.5% · 733
- Two or more races4.3% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cater
Cater 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
#8,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,926
+167 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 295 places
2020
#8,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,756
-170 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,124 | 3,759 | 1.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,419 | 3,926 | 1.33 | +167 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 295 places |
| 2020 | #8,442 | 3,756 | 1.26 | -170 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 23 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 Cater 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 | #8,419 | #8,442 | -0.3% |
| Count | 3,926 | 3,756 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.26 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cater bearers went from 3,926 to 3,756 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,419 to #8,442.
FAQ
Cater surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cater?
Name Census estimates that about 4,307 living Americans carry the surname Cater. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,581 residents.
How common is Cater?
Cater ranks #8,442 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,756 people with the surname Cater. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,307), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Cater.
Has Cater become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cater went from 3,926 recorded bearers to 3,756. That is a decrease of 170 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,419 to #8,442.
What does the Census say about the background of Cater?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cater, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Cater in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.1% (2,670 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cater appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.1%), Black (19.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Cater (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 Cater mean?
An occupational surname referring to a food supplier or one who provides provisions. 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 Cater (1.26 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 are called Cater?
See how many Americans have the surname Cater on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.