2000
#12,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,167
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Carew
A locational surname derived from any of several places in Wales, England, or France named Carew or Carrue.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,655 Americans carry the last name Carew. That puts it at #12,731 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carew 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 Carew with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 129,098
Census rank
#12,731
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,315 bearers of the surname Carew in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12731st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carew, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carew
The surname Carew has its origins in the ancient Celtic Briton culture, tracing back to the 6th century. It is believed to have derived from the Welsh place name "Carew" or "Carien," meaning "fort" or "stronghold." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name likely hailed from or were associated with a fortified settlement or castle.
The name Carew first appeared in records during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population across England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This indicates that the Carew family had established a presence in England by that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Carew was Sir Nicholas de Carew, who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He served as a knight and was granted lands in Carew Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales, by King John in 1207. This castle and its surrounding lands became the ancestral seat of the Carew family for several centuries.
Another notable figure in the history of the Carew name was Sir John Carew (c. 1345 - c. 1405), a prominent military leader during the Hundred Years' War. He fought alongside the Black Prince at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and later served as a commander in the English army during the reign of King Richard II.
In the 16th century, Sir Peter Carew (1514 - 1575) gained prominence as a military commander and explorer. He led expeditions to explore the Spanish Main and the West Indies, and played a significant role in the establishment of English settlements in the New World.
The Carew family continued to hold influential positions in England and Wales throughout the centuries. One notable figure was Sir George Carew (1555 - 1629), who served as Lord President of Munster in Ireland and played a crucial role in suppressing the Nine Years' War against Irish rebels.
Another distinguished member of the Carew family was Thomas Carew (1595 - 1639), a renowned English poet and courtier during the Baroque era. He was known for his mastery of lyric poetry and his contributions to the development of English literature.
Over time, the Carew surname has seen various spellings, including Carrew, Carreu, Carewe, and Caru. However, the modern spelling of "Carew" has become the most widely accepted form. The name has also been associated with several place names, such as Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and Carew Manor in Beddington, Surrey, England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carew
Among Census respondents with the surname Carew, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Carew 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 Carew surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.7% · 1,729
- Black or African American15.8% · 365
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 99
- Two or more races3.9% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carew
Carew 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
#12,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,406
+239 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 154 places
2020
#12,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,315
-91 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,971 | 2,167 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,817 | 2,406 | 0.82 | +239 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 154 places |
| 2020 | #12,731 | 2,315 | 0.77 | -91 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 86 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 Carew 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 | #12,817 | #12,731 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,406 | 2,315 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.77 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carew bearers went from 2,406 to 2,315 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,817 to #12,731.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carew
FAQ
Carew surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carew?
Name Census estimates that about 2,655 living Americans carry the surname Carew. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,098 residents.
How common is Carew?
Carew ranks #12,731 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,315 people with the surname Carew. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,655), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Carew.
Has Carew become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carew went from 2,406 recorded bearers to 2,315. That is a decrease of 91 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,817 to #12,731.
What does the Census say about the background of Carew?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carew, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Hispanic (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 Carew in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.7% (1,729 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carew appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.7%), Black (15.8%), Hispanic (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 Carew (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 Carew mean?
A locational surname derived from any of several places in Wales, England, or France named Carew or Carrue. 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 Carew (0.77 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 surname Carew?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.