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

McCarter, 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 McCarter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCarter in America

McCarter is the 3605th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCarter surname appeared 9,849 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname McCarter.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCarter 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 McCarter

The surname McCarter is of Scottish origin, arising from the Gaelic Mac a' Cheartair, meaning "son of the quarrier" or "son of the carter". It first emerged in the 13th century in the regions surrounding Glasgow and Ayrshire, where quarrying and hauling stone were common occupations.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name is Gilcrist McCarter, who appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1328. The name is also found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles swearing fealty to Edward I of England, suggesting the surname's antiquity.

During the 16th century, the McCarters were prominent landowners in the parishes of Dalry and Largs in Ayrshire. In 1546, John McCarter of Largs is mentioned in the Protocol Book of Gavin Ros, a record of legal transactions in the area.

The surname is also associated with the Covenanters, a Scottish Presbyterian movement of the 17th century. In 1684, John McCarter of Craigend was fined for attending conventicles, illegal religious gatherings held in defiance of the established Church of Scotland.

Notable McCarters throughout history include:

1. Robert McCarter (1823-1899), an Irish-born American businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Newark, New Jersey.

2. William McCarter (1816-1891), an American lawyer and politician who served as New Jersey Attorney General and represented the state in the United States Senate.

3. John McCarter (1741-1824), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler of Kentucky.

4. Margaret McCarter (1858-1920), a Scottish-born Canadian educator and women's rights advocate, known for her work promoting access to education for women and girls.

5. John McCarter (1767-1835), an Irish-born American merchant and landowner, who was one of the founders of the city of Newark, Ohio.

The surname McCarter has also given rise to various place names, such as McCarter's Glen, a historic site in Ayrshire, and McCarter Highway, a major road in Newark, New Jersey, named after the former mayor Robert McCarter.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCarter

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

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

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

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