2000
#3,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,635
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.57
Uncommon Last name
Karr
A Scottish or Irish topographical surname referring to someone who lived near a marsh or bog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,646 Americans carry the last name Karr. That puts it at #3,721 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,196 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karr 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 Karr with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,196
Census rank
#3,721
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,284 bearers of the surname Karr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3721st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karr, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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the earliest documented instances of the name "Karr" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Heinrich Karrer" is mentioned in a land transaction dated 1284.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karr
Among Census respondents with the surname Karr, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Karr 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 Karr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 8,169
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 458
- Two or more races3.9% · 363
- Black or African American1.4% · 133
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karr
Karr 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
#3,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,324
+689 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 3.50
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#3,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,284
-1,040 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 3.11
Rank movement Down 261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,402 | 9,635 | 3.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,460 | 10,324 | 3.50 | +689 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #3,721 | 9,284 | 3.11 | -1,040 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 261 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 Karr 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 | #3,460 | #3,721 | -7.5% |
| Count | 10,324 | 9,284 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.50 | 3.11 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karr bearers went from 10,324 to 9,284 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 261 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,460 to #3,721.
FAQ
Karr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karr?
Name Census estimates that about 10,646 living Americans carry the surname Karr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,196 residents.
How common is Karr?
Karr ranks #3,721 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,284 people with the surname Karr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,646), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Karr.
Has Karr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karr went from 10,324 recorded bearers to 9,284. That is a decrease of 1,040 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,460 to #3,721.
What does the Census say about the background of Karr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karr, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Karr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (8,169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Hispanic (4.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Karr (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 Karr mean?
A Scottish or Irish topographical surname referring to someone who lived near a marsh or bog. 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 Karr (3.11 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 share the surname Karr?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.