2000
#2,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,509
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.27
Uncommon Last name
Carlin
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "O Cairealláin," meaning "descendant of Caireallán" (a diminutive of "caireall," meaning quarrelsome).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,959 Americans carry the last name Carlin. That puts it at #3,103 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,449 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carlin 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 Carlin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,449
Census rank
#3,103
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,301 bearers of the surname Carlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3103rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carlin
The surname Carlin is of Irish and Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Caralan" or "Carlain", which is thought to be a diminutive form of the Old Norse name "Carl" or "Karlr". The name Carl was derived from the Germanic word "karl", meaning a free man or a husband.
The Carlin surname is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century in the Scottish Highlands and the northern counties of Ireland. It was particularly common in areas with strong Scottish or Norse influence, such as the Scottish Isles, the Western Isles, and parts of Ulster.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Carlin surname can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 13th century, where a person named "Gillecrist Carlyn" is mentioned. The name also appears in various Scottish and Irish records and manuscripts from the 14th and 15th centuries, with various spellings such as Carlyne, Carlyne, and Carlyn.
In the 16th century, the Carlin surname can be found in the records of the Scottish Clan Mackinnon, which had a strong presence in the Hebrides islands. One notable member of the clan was Lachlan Carlin Mackinnon, who was born in 1580 and served as a chief of the clan.
Another notable figure with the Carlin surname was John Carlin, an Irish Catholic priest and author who lived in the 17th century. He was born in County Monaghan in 1625 and wrote several religious works, including a book titled "The English Concordance of the Bible".
In the 18th century, the Carlin surname was carried to various parts of the world by Scottish and Irish emigrants. One notable bearer of the name was Thomas Carlin, an Irish-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in County Armagh in 1752 and later settled in Pennsylvania.
The 19th century saw several notable individuals with the Carlin surname, including John Carlin, an Irish-born American politician who served as the 7th Governor of Illinois from 1838 to 1842. He was born in Westmeath, Ireland in 1786 and later emigrated to the United States.
Another notable figure was William Passmore Carlin, an American painter and artist who was born in Philadelphia in 1857. He is known for his landscape paintings and his work as an illustrator for various publications.
Overall, the Carlin surname has a rich history that can be traced back to the Scottish Highlands and the northern counties of Ireland, with roots in the Gaelic and Old Norse languages. It has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including clan chiefs, priests, soldiers, politicians, and artists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Carlin 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 Carlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 9,206
- Hispanic or Latino13.3% · 1,498
- Two or more races2.7% · 305
- Black or African American1.3% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carlin
Carlin 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
#2,977
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,035
+526 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 4.08
Rank movement Down 110 places
2020
#3,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,301
-734 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 3.78
Rank movement Down 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,867 | 11,509 | 4.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,977 | 12,035 | 4.08 | +526 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 110 places |
| 2020 | #3,103 | 11,301 | 3.78 | -734 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 126 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 Carlin 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 | #2,977 | #3,103 | -4.2% |
| Count | 12,035 | 11,301 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.08 | 3.78 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carlin bearers went from 12,035 to 11,301 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,977 to #3,103.
FAQ
Carlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carlin?
Name Census estimates that about 12,959 living Americans carry the surname Carlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,449 residents.
How common is Carlin?
Carlin ranks #3,103 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,301 people with the surname Carlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,959), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Carlin.
Has Carlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carlin went from 12,035 recorded bearers to 11,301. That is a decrease of 734 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,977 to #3,103.
What does the Census say about the background of Carlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Carlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (9,206 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Hispanic (13.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Carlin (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 Carlin mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "O Cairealláin," meaning "descendant of Caireallán" (a diminutive of "caireall," meaning quarrelsome). 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 Carlin (3.78 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 Carlin?
You can see how many people are called Carlin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.