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

Karr, 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 Karr surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Karr in America

Karr is the 3460th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Karr surname appeared 10,324 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Karr.

We can also compare 2010 data for Karr 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 Karr

The surname "Karr" is of ancient German origin, derived from the Old German word "karra," which means "cart" or "wagon." It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a carter or wagon driver during the medieval period.

The earliest known record of the name "Karr" dates back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, where it was spelled as "Karrer." In those times, surnames were often derived from one's occupation, and the name likely referred to someone who transported goods or provided transportation services.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name "Karr" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Heinrich Karrer" is mentioned in a land transaction dated 1284.

In the 14th century, the name spread to other parts of Germany, and variations such as "Karrer," "Karrer," and "Karre" began to appear in records. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Johannes Karrer, a prominent merchant and landowner in Nuremberg, who lived from around 1350 to 1420.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent several transformations in spelling and pronunciation. In England, for instance, the name was anglicized to "Karr" or "Carr," and the earliest known bearer of this variant was William Carr, a landowner in Yorkshire, who was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Another significant figure in the history of the "Karr" surname was Sir Robert Carr, an English courtier and favorite of King James I, who lived from 1586 to 1645. He was known for his involvement in various political intrigues and scandals during the Jacobean era.

In the 18th century, the name "Karr" gained prominence in Scotland, where several notable individuals bore the surname. One such person was Sir John Carr, a Scottish travel writer and author of "The Stranger in France" and "The Stranger in Ireland," who lived from 1772 to 1832.

In more recent times, the name "Karr" has been associated with several notable figures, including American author and journalist Mary Karr, born in 1955, and American baseball player Steve Karr, who played for the Detroit Tigers and the New York Mets in the 1980s and 1990s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Karr

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

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

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

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