2000
#1,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,718
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.31
Uncommon Last name
Carlisle
A locational surname referring to a person from the city of Carlisle in Cumbria, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,525 Americans carry the last name Carlisle. That puts it at #1,784 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,217 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carlisle 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 Carlisle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 15,217
Census rank
#1,784
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,643 bearers of the surname Carlisle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1784th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlisle, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carlisle
The surname Carlisle originated in England, and its roots can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the city of Carlisle, which is located in Cumbria, near the Scottish border. The name Carlisle itself comes from the Old English words "Caer Luel," meaning "the fort of Luel," referring to a Roman fort that was established in the area.
The earliest known record of the surname Carlisle appears in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1192, where a person named William de Carliol is mentioned. This spelling variation was common during that time, as surnames were still evolving and often derived from the names of places.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the city of Carlisle is recorded as "Caerleol," further reinforcing the origins of the name. The Domesday Book also mentions a landholder named Ranulf de Carliol, who was likely one of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname.
One of the most notable figures in history with the surname Carlisle was Sir Andrew Carlisle (1542-1636), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1626 to 1628. Another prominent individual was Nicholas Carlisle (1771-1847), an English antiquary and topographer who served as the Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
The surname Carlisle also has connections to several place names, such as Carlisle Bay in Antigua and Barbuda, which was named after the Earl of Carlisle, as well as the city of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which was founded in 1751 and named after the English city.
Other notable individuals with the surname Carlisle include George Carlisle (1768-1848), an American politician and judge who served as a Representative from Kentucky; Lusiah P. Carlisle (1825-1905), an American politician and businessman who served as the Mayor of Vincennes, Indiana; and Thomas Carlisle (1803-1855), an English mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of calculus.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carlisle
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlisle, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Carlisle 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 Carlisle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 15,145
- Black or African American14.4% · 2,831
- Two or more races4.3% · 852
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 576
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 125
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carlisle
Carlisle 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
#1,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,365
+647 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 6.90
Rank movement Down 100 places
2020
#1,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,643
-722 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 6.57
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,663 | 19,718 | 7.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,763 | 20,365 | 6.90 | +647 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 100 places |
| 2020 | #1,784 | 19,643 | 6.57 | -722 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 21 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 Carlisle 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 | #1,763 | #1,784 | -1.2% |
| Count | 20,365 | 19,643 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 6.90 | 6.57 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carlisle bearers went from 20,365 to 19,643 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,763 to #1,784.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Carlisle
FAQ
Carlisle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carlisle?
Name Census estimates that about 22,525 living Americans carry the surname Carlisle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,217 residents.
How common is Carlisle?
Carlisle ranks #1,784 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,643 people with the surname Carlisle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Carlisle.
Has Carlisle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carlisle went from 20,365 recorded bearers to 19,643. That is a decrease of 722 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,763 to #1,784.
What does the Census say about the background of Carlisle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carlisle, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.4%) and Two or More Races (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 Carlisle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (15,145 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carlisle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Black (14.4%), Two or More Races (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 Carlisle (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 Carlisle mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from the city of Carlisle in Cumbria, England. 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 Carlisle (6.57 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 last name Carlisle?
Find out how many people have the last name Carlisle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.